Korean Job Discussion Forums

[garykasparov]

Elementary School Students Down 34%

By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/05/123_24085.html

The number of elementary school students has fallen by more than one-third over the past 28 years as married couples have become more reluctant to have children because of high childcare and education costs.

With the decreasing number of children, the nation will likely suffer from a labor shortage in the near future, weakening its economic vitality and growth potential.

According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), Tuesday, the number of young people aged 6-21 totaled 10.2 million nationwide this year, down 29 percent from 14.4 million in 1980. In particular, children aged 6-11, who attend elementary schools, numbered 3.64 million, down 33.7 percent from 5.5 million 28 years ago.

The number of adolescents aged 12-14 dropped 20.3 percent to 2.07 million from 1980, while the country's high school students totaled 2.03 million, down 24 percent from 2.67 million over the same period. The number of young adults aged 18-21 who mostly enroll at universities has decreased 24.2 percent to 2.47 million from 3.63 million.

With fewer elementary, middle and high school students, the ratio of students to teacher has fallen to a record low. One teacher was responsible for 23 students on average at elementary schools last year, down from 30 in 2000.

``Korea's birthrates have fallen to the lowest level in the world as a growing number of women here opt to have fewer babies amid rising costs of childcare and education. The bigger problem is that the trend will likely continue and we will see the youth population draw a steeper downward curve,'' an NSO official said.

The country's birthrate, the average number of babies that a Korean woman aged between 15 and 49 gives birth to during her lifetime, stood at 1.08 last year, down from 1.13 in 2006.

Amid the falling birthrates and rapid population aging, the country is expected to have one of the highest percentages of elderly people in the world by 2050, as on top of having fewer babies Koreans are living longer than their counterparts in other nations. Also, the population is forecast to decline to 42 million by 2050 from the current 48 million.

Koreans' life expectancy is projected to average 79.1 from 2005 to 2010, substantially higher than the world's average of 67.2, according to the statistical office. Japan will top the list with its citizens living for 82.6 years on average, followed by Hong Kong with 82.2 and Iceland with 81.8.

The elderly over 65 will account for 38.2 percent of the country's population in 2050, higher than the world average of 16.2 percent. The portion of people aged below 14 will decrease to 8.9 percent from 19.2 percent in 2005.

Koreans aged over 80 accounted for 1.4 percent of the population in 2005, compared with the global average of 1.3 percent, but the ratio is expected to increase to 14.5 percent in 2050, higher than the average 9.4 percent in developed countries.

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[Return Jones]

I understand what the stats stay, but I really can't possibly imagine there's a shortage of kids at all. Everywhere I go, there are kids running around. Lots of them. The classes at my school are huge, too. Are fewer kids really that bad a thing?!

[diablo3]

It is the etiquette of Korea now, and unfortunately you would probably be outcasted if you don't do as the Koreans do in Korea. It is strange though because Korea has imposed themselves this fear that their kids will be less competitive if their 5 year old kids don't study a few hours each day at home. Gosh, where is the time for them to run around and have fun?

It is a new real life experiment. Let's see what happens.

[Gamecock]

I figure that by 2050 Korea will have pissed off all her allies/business partners/foreign investors, their economy will be near 3rd world status because global consumers will realize there is nothing here they can't buy elsewhere, unemployment will be massive and everyone will be scrambling for every bit of food they can get their hands on...so not increasing the population will look pretty good then.

[Binch Lover]

It is certainly the case at my elementary school. Student numbers have been dropping consistently in the past few years. We are down to about 250 this year from 320 last year, and 400 the year before. A lot of it is to do with the fact that there are no apartment blocks in the catchment area (it's a green belt), so no new families are moving into the area.

The government here surely realises that it's a ticking time bomb. Education costs here are so high, it's impossible to raise more than two children if you want them to go down the hagwon route which most Korean parents do. The education system is in need of serious reform to go some way to fixing the problem.

[it's full of stars]

Are there grants from the government to families to encourage them to have children? Cause it seems like there are babies, toddlers and young'uns everywhere. I often see families with two or more in emart, maybe they are looking after other peoples' kids.

[Return Jones]

[Faunaki]

[Return Jones]

[Hanson]

[cdninkorea]

I found it interesting to hear from an ex-girlfriend who came from a rich family that the reason some have more than two children is because more children is a status symbol- it shows how much you can afford to 1) have an apartment big enough, and 2) pay so much for education.

She had two younger siblings and told me this was the reason her parents decided to have three children.

[brento1138]

Less people to populate and pollute the planet. Less changes of massive flu outbreaks... less crowded areas... It's funny how newspapers report birthrates going down as "bad" things when we all know it's probably for the best. Personally, if I even have kids, I believe it's 'moral' to simply just replace myself (and my spouse) on this planet... not populate it with too many mouths to feed. The world is reaching 7 billion people. Imagine if they all lived like we do, this world would be a worse mess than it is now...

[Atavistic]

[Binch Lover]