The Seoul Suicide Prevention Center is an agency funded by the City of Seoul. It brings about change in the way a limited number of marginalized individuals perceive the value of life. Although it is not a grassroots movement, we can see from the diagram below that the center and its hotline provide tools that individuals can use to lead more positive and empowered lives.

Chetkovich, C. A., & Kunreuther, F. (2006). From the ground up: Grassroots organizations making social change. Ithaca: ILR Press/Cornell University Press.

It may not be fair to grade the suicide prevention hotline in its ability to tackle the deep-seated pressure in Korean society to meet or exceed high expectations, as the purpose of the solution is to treat mental health symptoms that arise partly from the pressure. The organization is actually expanding to cope with the growing number of calls to the hotline (March marked the highest number in 2009 with 1,440 calls, compared to 1,000 in the same month last year).

However, critics of current mental health programs in Korea stress that more work needs to be done in raising awareness of suicide as a social problem among the Korean population at large, not just those already afflicted with mental health issues and motives to end their own lives (The Chosun Ilbo, June 2009, “Korea Must Do More to Stem Suicide Epidemic“). I would personally suggest forming a concrete link between the pressure in Korea to perform and the suicide epidemic, especially for ages 10 – 40. For instance, the campaign to raise awareness could take the form of a road tour of informative and interactive sessions.

Lisa Carmen and her class cooking Chinese food as part of a literacy lesson based on a Chinese story

Many schools belonging to the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority’s network are implementing creative curricula that emphasize hands-on activities for students as well as their input in their lessons in part due to recent findings that “that children were not enjoying learning as much as they could” (paragraph 4). For teachers, the new structure means flexibility and sense of ownership. These qualities are reminiscent of the benefits of alternative schools discussed in my former post “Alternative Education: Rebelling against the Norm“, except that community schools in England are state-funded.

Like South Korea, England has been experiencing staggering growth in parents’ dependence on private tutoring: in London, 43% of students have had help with schoolwork from a tutor (Jessica Shepherd, June 2009, “Boom in Use of Private Tutors Among State Pupils“, The Guardian). Even parents’ concern over the quality of traditional schooling and the growing gap between the wealthy and the poor’s ability to get their children into elite schools are real challenges that England faces.

Since the Education Ministry is already rolling out subsidy programs to improve the quality of public education and spending is at the schools’ discretion (Seo, May 2009, “Government to Establish Hagwon-Free Schools“, JoongAng Daily), public schools in South Korea should perhaps also take the initiative to implement flexible, creative, dynamic curricula that promote efficacy for both teachers and students. Besides, doing scientific experiments with a Harry Potter theme would certainly be hard to resist.

Social Value Proposition

A focus on stimulating, challenging activities rather than squeezing in an overwhelming number of rigidly structured classes definitely has the potential to transform the pressure to learn and perform in Korean society into appreciation for enriching students’ minds through diverse approaches to education.

Transformative Potential

The impact of creative curricula in public schools, as mentioned above, could be a truly system change in the way Koreans view the role of education in young people’s lives. The scale of impact will be limited to a relatively small number of students until the creative curriculum passes the “tipping point” and spreads like wildfire across the nation. Finally, the transformation will mostly likely sustain only so long as top employers and universities explicitly value the characteristics and abilities fostered by these creative schools.

President Lee Myung-Bak

South Korean President Myung-Bak Lee’s latest announcement of plans to battle the private education epidemic does not seem to be much of a boost for the 200 universities that signed a joint declaration to reform the college admissions process (see my previous post, “Universities Present a United Front“).

The reforms that President Lee discussed on June 3rd did not reveal any new measures unknown to the Korean public (Ji-Eun Seo, June 2009, “Lee Administration Reveals Reforms for Private Education“, JoongAng Daily). Many South Koreans have heard it all before:

• “cracking down on pricey after-school programs that are primarily focused on getting students into special-purpose high schools [international schools, science schools], which guarantee admission to top universities” (paragraph 5)
• forbidding foreign language high schools from applying written tests among other methods in assessing candidates, as written tests add more hours of studying for adolescents
• bring public English education into reality
• regular evaluation of public school teachers

Evaluating teachers’ performance regularly and diffusing English education in public schools nationwide do seem to be good measures for helping to restore faith in the public education system and therefore curbing the demand for private tutoring. However, there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between the government’s reforms and what the university coalition claims its declaration will achieve.

An International School in Kyongki Province

The universities’ declaration seemed to signify hope for public schools that provide diverse, stimulating, and challenging learning environments—a hope that must garner strong support by the government. President Lee’s announcement merely suggests that some of the tools that parents have become accustomed to in getting their children into special-purpose schools will be taken away, but there is nothing that explicitly deals with the luster that special-purpose schools hold for parents. In fact, President Lee is determined to open 100 more special high schools during his term (Brian Lee, November 2008, “Market-Oriented Reforms Split Education Circles“, JoongAng Daily).

The key in tackling the over-education problem is to shift the Korean society’s values regarding what constitutes a complete life.  I, of course, refer to alleviating the current pressure to follow “elite” academic and career paths. Unfortunately, President Lee does not seem to even acknowledge such pressure as a social problem and would rather see proliferation of special-purpose high schools (and their copycats) that will spur extra hours of studying in one way or another.

The author of the editorial (anonymous) adds that the following supporting factors are critical to ensure the success of the joint declaration:

• Active participation of secondary schools in the admissions process reform to make sure that the new policies have a positive influence on public education
• Strong and lasting partnership between universities and provincial/municipal education authorities
• “Diversify and specify the screening process different areas of study” (paragraph 6)
• Secure public’s trust in the newly established “admissions officer system” that recognizes intangible qualities like potential as an evaluation criterion

The group of universities united in the mission to reform admissions policies is somewhat like a coalition where the schools are in no way bound to a legal entity, the declaration was signed entirely voluntarily (I assume), there is no particular funding for the cause to speak of, and the universities themselves take ownership of the group. Therefore, without a formal organization, the group may be vulnerable to quick dismantling. Also, its social impact depends heavily on coordination and funding for the 4 supporting factors listed above.

Social Entrepreneurship Framework (Austin et al, 2007, Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector, p. 23)

It is actually unclear as to whether the coalition seeks to bring about drastic changes to the university entrance exam itself, or to simply give the standard exam a lower weight in the assessment process no matter what state the exam structure is in. If changing and perhaps even diversifying the entrance exam is indeed one of the coalition’s objectives, then its SVP (social value proposition) could indeed be transformation of the public education system for the better. More specifically, using government funding (capital) as well as partnerships with public schools and education offices (people), the coalition can capture the opportunity to provide an environment in the public education system that nurtures thinking outside the box, problem solving, teamwork, and self-initiative rather than the ability to survive 12 – 15 hours of class per day.

This conference will be a platform for bringing AYCE and its initiatives to the public’s attention (especially in the early stages of the organization); sharing knowledge and best practices from education experts across the nation (perhaps even around the world); persistently identifying gaps between the needs of students/teachers/schools/employers and the current state of the public education system (in addition to regular surveys and evaluations); and applying such key findings to continuously improve AYCE programs and Korea’s public education system. The conference is also a way to communicate to the Korean society that major progress is being made in the quality of public education, which in turn signifies a decreased need for private tutoring and excessive school hours.

See below for a mock promo video for the 1st Annual AYCE Conference as well as a sample agenda.

As you can see from the agenda, the success of the conference will depend largely on AYCE’s ability to attract representatives from top employers and universities as well as education and mental health experts who are much sought after. Not only are these stakeholders important as speakers at the conference, partnering with them for sponsorship are essential in addition to government funding. Plus, demand for continuing the conference must be driven amongst student groups such as The Federation of of Korean High School Students’ Associations and educator groups such as The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations.

Of course, the conference may need to be extended to a 2- or even 3-day event, depending on how much time truly should be devoted to each session, how many sessions there should be, and whether there should be concurrent tracks (e.g. one for students, one for teachers and education experts, sessions where all groups come together).

What are your thoughts on event marketing for AYCE such as the annual conference? Voice your opinion now!

Dimensions of Social Movements

AYCE is an example of Reformative Social Movements (see diagram below). Although the organization ultimately aims to impact the Korean society at large by changing the degree to which it appreciates pressure to learn/perform and the way it deals with that pressure, such transformation is limited rather than radical. The change is a far cry from redemptive social movements like religious movements or revolutionary social movements like a drastic slide across the ideology spectrum: these radical movements change the public’s beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviours towards nearly all aspects of their lives.

Degree of Social Transformation

Transformation Effects: Impact, Scale, Durability/Sustainability

By revolutionizing the criteria that universities use in their admissions process (e.g. reform of the university entrance exam); working to integrate creativity and innovation rather than repetition and rote memorization into Korea’s education system (all the way from kindergarten to university); and campaigning for students’ easy access to effective coping mechanisms with mental health issues, AYCE will aim to attack the root causes of the over-education problem in South Korea and therefore bring about systemic change.

AYCE’s programs that alleviate over-education will diffuse across the country as more and more pilot projects in the abovementioned areas prove to be successful in increasing creativity and efficacy among students.

Continuous learning and evolution in the university admissions process, the diverse curricula of public schools, and methods of prevention against and treatments for mental health issues among youth will mean a very long-term commitment.

Limitations

An obvious hurdle that AYCE will encounter is the support that it needs from elected officials to be established as a government agency in the first place. Even after the agency is launched, potential for bureaucratic inefficiency is inherent. AYCE must also be prepared for strong opposition against its crusade for fewer hours of education from the multibillion-dollar private tutoring industry.

Moreover, it is essential that AYCE is championed by leading universities and top employers as much as by civic groups (students, teachers, parents) in order to achieve the desired level of impact. This means that the success of the organization may be partly bound to how well-connected the leaders/sponsors of the agency are.

Why a government agency?

Over-education in South Korea stems from the cultural crisis that is the immense pressure to learn and perform. This deep-rooted crisis rises to the surface as a growing number of children and adolescents receive treatments for mental health issues related to school stress, and as the entire nation struggles to shake off its #1 position in suicide rates among OECD countries (as discussed in my former post, “Pressure, Depression, and Suicide”). In other words, this social problem ultimately afflicts the general Korean population as youth subjected to over-education carry the pressure to meet overwhelming expectations throughout their lives even after they enter the workforce. As a governmental organization, AYCE has the potential to impact Korean society at large with greater resources at hand. See the diagram below for a brief overview on the social value that AYCE strives to provide (adopted from the Social Entrepreneurship Framework (Austin et al, 2007, Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector, p. 23).

Key Features of AYCE

The main objectives of AYCE include the following:

• Bring the voices of students and education experts to the forefront
• Illustrate to the public that individual uniqueness and originality are now more important in the job market and the global economic stage than ever
• Bring to light the impacts of immense pressure to learn and perform on Korean society
• Educate the public on the importance of citizens’ mental well-being on long-term sustainability of Korea’s economic growth

To achieve the above objectives and hence deliver the social value proposition (SVP), AYCE will start by finally realizing a promise that South Korean presidents have been making to electorates for years: overhaul of the standard university entrance exam. Concurrently, AYCE will aim to bring best practices of alternative schools (see “Alternative Education: Rebelling Against the Norm”) into mainstream through increased funding for revising public school curricula. Plus, partnering with corporations that are perceived to be the biggest employers in South Korea and the nation’s leading universities will be vital in promoting various programs that foster mental well-being, creativity and innovation among youth.

What do you think so far on the Agency for Youth Creativity and Efficacy as a novel solution to the over-education problem in South Korea? Vote now!

Megastudy’s revenue in 2009 is expected to grow by 22.5% to US$195 million, despite an overall economic downturn in South Korea. The South Korean government applauds the company’s contribution to “curbing the runaway costs of private education” (page 1, paragraph 12). However, education experts like Jung-Ho Yang—professor of pedagogy at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul—caution that the online tutorials are broken up into many different sessions, so that students often need to sign up for multiple classes. In fact, there are 2,500 different courses on the site for high school students alone. Such a vast number is partly how the most popular Megastudy teacher brought in almost US$8 million in revenues in 2008 (and walked to the bank with 23% of it).

Son’s enterprise seems, at least on the surface, to alleviate the widespread concern that students who get accepted into elite universities are merely those who can pay for expensive private education. In fact, Megastudy reaches 2.8 million students. This means the innovation does create some social value by lowering society’s private education costs (Phillis et al, 2008). However, Megastudy is a classic case of a social innovation that only treats the symptoms of a problem. As many journalists from South Korean newspapers agree (Dong-Seok Sah, June 2009, The Korea Times; Brian Lee, November 2008, JoongAng Daily; Jeong-Ju Na, May 2009, The Korea Times), the main issue at hand is the standardized university entrance exam that fuels the public’s obsession with over-education. Joo-Eun Son has failed to address the reason behind over-spending on private education and simply provides a more affordable way to pressure children and adolescents.

What’s worse is Son’s future vision for education and its potential to create another frightening social problem: “Offline schools will become supplemental to online education … Students will go to school, perhaps once a week, for group activities like sports”, he says.

Megastudy and subsequent online cram schools earn a grade of C- as a novel solution to the over-education problem in South Korea.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

In Anthea Lipsett’s article “Stress Driving Pupils to Suicide, Says Union” in The Guardian (March 2008), a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) in the United Kingdom indicates that testing and exams are perceived to be the top contributor to increased stress and pressure felt among children. 89% of the 804 teachers and lecturers in the ATL identified tesing and exams as the main cause of stress.

In South Korea, the National Health Insurance Corp. found in 2008 that an average of 3.85 out of 100 students between the ages of 7 and 19 in the Gangnam area (southern Seoul) have received mental health treatments (Ji-Eun Seo, April 2009, “English Fever Takes Hold of Pre-School Education“, JoongAng Daily). This is the largest portion in the country, in an area most well-known for the wealthiest residents in the nation as well as the plethora of private education entities such as cram schools and tutoring.

When Meery Lee and Reed Larson conducted a study on high school seniors in Korea and their counterparts in the United States (2000, Journal of Youth and Adolescence), they uncovered three key findings:

1) Korean high school seniors spend more than twice as much time per day on doing schoolwork as American high school seniors.

2) More importantly, Korean adolescents feel greater negative affect than American adolescents during schoolwork. Not only that, such negative emotions spill over into other activities (namely socializing and passive leisure) more strongly for Korean students compared to American students.

3) MOST importantly, the negative affect associated with the Korean adolescents’ daily experience partly accounts for the greater rate of depression among Korean adolescents.

News stories break out every year in South Korea about another teenager who committed suicide due to lower-than-expected scores on the standardized university entrance exam. The pressure to be accepted into the best universities is great on many Korean adolescents, and without help in coping with the stress, tragedy occurs.

Suicide is actually a nationwide problem for South Korea: it ranks no. 1 among all OECD member countries in suicide rate, according to Society at a Glance 2009: OECD Social Indicators.  Receiving treatments for mental health issues—or mental health problems in general, for that matter—is still not a concept that Koreans widely embrace. With tremendous pressure on children to get the best grades and on adults to earn the highest income/social status, combined with insufficient coping mechanisms, the potential trend of depression and suicide rates in South Korea is quite chilling.