What can the UK learn from the world-beating Asian school systems?

The OECD recently released its PISA (Program for International Development) Report for 2012. The Pisa Report is a triennial test that is given to over 510,000 students in 65 economies to determine regional academic abilities in three subject areas; Math, science and reading.

The results showed Asian economies outperformed the rest of the world convincingly, with Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea occupying the top five spots. For those of us who value a British education the report makes for some pretty uncomfortable reading with the UK languishing mid-table at 25th in the rankings.

So why do British students fare so badly compared to their Asian counterparts? Why have the British results declined over the past decade and the Asian results risen to such an extent that they are now setting the standard? Since the inaugural Pisa Report (the first test was administered in 2000) South Korea has consistently ranked in the top ten for the three test subject – math, science and reading. This leaves many begging the question what are the South Korean’s doing that we aren’t? But more importantly could we do the same?

Dr Cha, Professor of Education at the highly respected Hanyang University gives a very straightforward answer when asked why Korean students outperform the rest of the world academically:

“That’s simple, the amount of time Korean students spend studying…they keep studying and studying all day long, no playing.”

There is a wealth of information to support Dr. Cha’s assertion. The results of the Pisa Report in 2003 found that Korean students studied the longest of all the OECD countries. According to the OECD the average study time for a British student over the course of a week is a mere three hours and forty nine minutes a day, while a Korean student studies on average for seven hours and fifty minutes a day – twice as long as a British student.

There isn’t a need for statistical analysis to conclude that students who study longer will do better than those who study less. As with most things in life the more you practice something the better you get. But how have Koreans convinced their students to study longer than the rest of the world?

Korean history offers a good place to start. Confucianism took root in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty beginning in the late 14th century. Dr Cha explains:

“Confucianism is an important factor in explaining or understanding the Korean education system…Confucian ideology puts a strong emphasis on a scholarly attitude and the pursuit of knowledge. The scholar was the highest status in society.”

Anyone wishing to attain the esteemed title of a scholar during the Joseon Dynasty would have needed to embark on many years of arduous study – memorizing an unimaginable amount of Chinese characters; the teachings of great thinkers of the day; study the laws and history of both Korea and China amongst a great many other things all in order to pass the public office exam which earned successful candidates high ranking government jobs – ensuring their place as the elites of society. To pass this immensely difficult exam took more than simply the individual’s resolve to study and succeed. It took massive financial investment from the family for tutoring, supplies and travel, placing huge pressure on the students to succeed. This cemented a bond of gratitude and a sense of indebtedness to their family – all things that have survived to present day Korea.

In the modern Korean education system academies can be seen as the continuation of this tradition, reinforcing the old values and traditions of long dedicated years of studying and the important role family plays in education. South Korea has a modern education system that provides free education for every citizen from the ages of 7-18. The length of the school day is comparable to most Western countries. The major difference between the Korean education system and the British is the supplementary education provided by academies.

Academies are private schools that operate after regular school finishes. Private education is often considered a luxury for the rich in the UK, but in South Korea 75% of all Korean students attend private academies. Students finish school and go directly to an academy to continue their education. Class sizes are typically no greater than ten students per class, providing students with an intimate learning environment-personalizing and intensifying the education system in South Korea. Academies are open until 10 pm every night, usually on weekends too. Academy life starts at an early age for Korean students, with some students being enrolled as early as four years old. As students get older they spend more and more of their time in academies until it culminates in students spending every single night, day off and holiday at academies in preparation for their university entrance exam.

Korean parents dedicate a massive portion of their disposable income to sending their children to academies. It is an industry that is estimated to be worth a staggering £11.5 billion annually. As a result of this extra expenditure on private education, South Korean’s spend 12% of their GDP on education, the highest level in the OECD. This gives parents considerable influence over their children’s education. Consequently it could be argued that Korean students study so hard because the whole system centers around educational success as the end rather than a means and Korean parents invest so much time and money into their children’s education that students feel they bare a duty of responsibility to succeed.

So what lessons can Britain learn from South Korea? The Korean system doesn’t offer a blueprint for the British education system and there are many aspects of the Korean system that would be unpalatable to many people. But there are principles in the Korean education system that we can learn from and employ in our own. The Protestant Work Ethic, regardless to one’s own personal prejudices concerning the origin of the idea – has more than a casual link with Confucianism’s veneration of education and a good work ethic. We must harness such sentiment for a British roadmap for engaging our students into studying longer and harder. Michael Gove’s answers to fixing the education system seem to centre around the idea that the problem is managerial rather than systemic. The current political vogue for the decentralization of schools is hardly an adequate response to the changes that have taken place in the rest of the world. The world’s top students work harder and longer than British students, no amount of Government disengagement is going to bridge that gap.

Parents must also be made central figures in children’s education. Again, the Korean way doesn’t provide many viable options for Britain, but it does demonstrate that a strong parental link to a child’s education fosters a sense of responsibility in children towards their education. Free School’s do offer an opportunity for parents to become more involved, but the policy lacks incentives for disinterested parents to engage.

The quality of British education hasn’t declined over the past decade. We have some of the best trained teachers in the world who are dedicated to their mission and deserve a greater stake in how schools are run and the way students are taught. Our schools have seen massive investment in facilities with a continual emphasis on improving. There is a genuine concern amongst politicians about improving the standard of education for children in disadvantaged areas, even if there are serious misgivings about the effectiveness of current policy. But this doesn’t change the basic problem facing British education on the world stage – Asian countries are faring better than the British due to the personal and financial investment of students and families into education.

We are falling behind not because our standards have slipped, but rather because the general standard in the world has risen to a higher level than our own. To compete on the world stage means we have to adapt to the new environment and learn from the new leaders in education. The South Korean model is far from perfect, a quick Google search of the Korean education system will yield results showing that Korea has some of the most stressed and unhappiest students in the world; a problematic suicide rate; students lack imagination and critical thinking skills; there is far too much emphasis on passing the test amongst a great many other problems. But they are surely in the more enviable position of having to adjust their system from the top of the tables than Britain who has to adjust the system from mid-table and climb.