Education in South Korea
| Ministry of Education (South Korea) | |
|---|---|
| National education budget (2016) | |
| Budget | 4.6% of GDP |
| General details | |
| Primary languages | Korean |
| Literacy | |
| Total | 100% |
| Male | 100% |
| Female | 100% |
| Primary | 3.3 million |
| Secondary | 4.0 million |
| Post secondary | 3.6 million |
| Attainment | |
| Secondary diploma | 98.0% |
| Post-secondary diploma | 69.8% |
Education in South Korea is provided by both public schools and private schools with government funding available for both. South Korea is known for its high academic performance in reading, mathematics, and science, consistently ranking above the OECD average. South Korean education sits at ninth place in the world. Higher education is highly valued. People believe doing well in school helps them move up in society and have better jobs.
The education system in South Korea is known for being very strict and competitive. Students are expected to get into top universities, especially the "SKY" universities (Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University). This focus has helped the economy grow and made many people well-educated, but it has also been criticized for stopping creativity, causing mental health problems, and not matching students' skills with available jobs.
The strong pressure and focus on doing well in school have started debates about changing the system. People are worried about putting too much importance on university education, looking down on vocational careers, and how competition affects students’ well-being.