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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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 Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:09 am Post subject: It looks like schools will phase out Saturday classes |
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/04/117_84708.html
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Government plans to expand 5-day school week system from second half
By Han Sang-hee
The government and a major teachers� group have in principle agreed to take all Saturdays off at primary and secondary schools. They also agreed to work out details to fully expand the five-day school week which is currently being implemented every other week.
Officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said they have yet to decide exactly when the five-day school week will be fully adopted.
Before full implementation of the five-day school week, the ministry plans to come up with enforcement measures to try it at some schools possibly from June and expand it nationwide.
The plans came after the ministry and the Korean Federation of Teachers� Association (KFTA) signed an agreement on the expansion of the five-day school week system, Wednesday.
Following the agreement, the ministry will come up with specific measures regarding when, how and to which schools the system will be applied after collecting opinions from students, parents and teachers.
``This doesn�t mean that we are implementing the procedure right away. Something like the five-day school week needs careful planning and also consensus from all fields and this will obviously take time,�� said a ministry official.
``The agreement means we will come up with a roadmap by talking carefully with students, parents and teachers,�� he added.
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The reactions? Surprisingly mixed.
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``We have received many calls from worried parents after the ministry�s announcement,�� said Dong Hoon-chan, director and representative of the Korea Teachers and Education Workers� Union.
The union released a statement saying that they welcomed the idea, but only if it is to be implemented for the sake of the students.
``In order to successfully carry out the five day school week, (the ministry) must cut down the education curriculum. It�s questionable if the students, the schools, related facilities and families are ready for such a big change,�� the union said through the statement, adding that there is a strong need of a systemized social infrastructure where students can learn and experience new things outside of schools.
Some parents and teachers pointed out the pressure for more private education and also students whose parents don�t have the ability to support them with extracurricular activities.
``I think it�s a good idea to have more days where students can go out and explore, but the reality is that parents and also students would rely on private cram schools again,�� said Min So-young, a mother of two middle school students.
High school English teacher Kim Joo-yeon also predicted possible problems.
``There are some parents who have to work on Saturdays and for them, it will be hard to offer interesting experiences every weekend like other better off parents,�� she said.
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War Eagle
Joined: 15 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:29 am Post subject: |
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This will do nothing but create a greater demand for children to attend private academies on Saturday's. PS teachers: congradulations. You get a bone. Hagwon teachers: well... you know what's gonna happen.
I wish they would just give the poor kids some free time and let em stay home and play. The sad reality is that most parents, either because they are working, don't want to spend time with their kids, or (most likely) don't want their children wasting time being a child, will force them into private academies so they can brag to their neighbors and friends that their special little guy/girl studies every waking hour of the day!
86% of high school graduates go on to college and their are 1.3 million college graduates without jobs. Herein lies the problem fueling this ticking time bomb.
Somebody, or some certain 3 people, need to wake up and start employing some of these young people instead of outsourcing jobs and reducing their numbers of employees while continuing to post positive growth even through the worldwide financial crisis.
Last edited by War Eagle on Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:33 am Post subject: |
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I seem to recall hearing this "rumor" 2 -3 years ago and it ended up getting
panned because there was too much opposition from parents....er something like that.
I suppose that's what will happen this time round as well. |
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WadRUG'naDoo
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:12 am Post subject: |
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| Yup. No school on Saturdays will equal hagwon owners drooling at the opportunity. |
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tealeeds1
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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i heard this off my principal last month - theyw anted me to work saturdays and i refused - he said they were phasing out saturdays anyway so would i work until they were phased out (i still refused..)
my coteacher said theres been talk of it amongst staff etc.. i dont know anything other than this, but my principal did say he heard it direct from the department of education. he might have been lying to try and dupe me into working, but with that news artcile as well it sounds like they are at least trying.
wont affect me though  |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| There's been talk of phasing out Saturday classes for decades. I wouldn't bank on it happening. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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| WadRUG'naDoo wrote: |
| Yup. No school on Saturdays will equal hagwon owners drooling at the opportunity. |
+1 |
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crsandus
Joined: 05 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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| My coteacher mentioned this to me a few weeks ago. I think overall it's a good thing. Hopefully the kids get more time to play instead of hagwons but... |
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Slowmotion
Joined: 15 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| These poor kids need a break. They're burned out already. |
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ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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At least (in public schools) K-teachers won't give us crap that they have to work on Saturdays anymore  |
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WadRUG'naDoo
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
| There's been talk of phasing out Saturday classes for decades. I wouldn't bank on it happening. |
I started teaching in Korea in early 2005 and left around the middle of 2010 In that time, Saturday classes went from every week to 3 on/1 off and then to what I think is now every 2nd Saturday. So they're not only talking about phasing Saturdays out, it's a reality. |
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jackson7
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Location: Kim Jong Il's Future Fireball
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| Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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It's not all happy days for the Korean public school teachers, unfortunately. When this does get phased in, those Korean teachers who longer work Saturdays will be losing seven vacation days per year (according to my fiancee, a public school teacher). It's time that the Korean government stopped trying to run the public education system like such a business. Adding more desk-warming days (vacation is only allowed to be taken during the actual vacation period, and teachers are only permitted to leave the country for 10 of their annual 20 days leave) is ridiculous and spiteful. The understanding that Korean teachers show in the face of these types of moves blows me away, really.
J7 |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 7:59 am Post subject: |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
I seem to recall hearing this "rumor" 2 -3 years ago and it ended up getting
panned because there was too much opposition from parents....er something like that.
I suppose that's what will happen this time round as well. |
I concur. Parents have a lot of power. |
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Zackback
Joined: 05 Nov 2010
Location: Kyungbuk
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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I think that they make these kids (particularly middle and high school) go to school all the time to prevent teen sex/pregnancy. With all this studying, exams, exams, exams it is an attempt to kill the sex drive.
Who would have the time...or the energy? |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| sojusucks wrote: |
| some waygug-in wrote: |
I seem to recall hearing this "rumor" 2 -3 years ago and it ended up getting
panned because there was too much opposition from parents....er something like that.
I suppose that's what will happen this time round as well. |
I concur. Parents have a lot of power. |
I second waygug-in. This came up back in '08 for sure, and even earlier but I don't recall when exactly.
Honestly, the Saturday school stuff is a joke. The kids show up and sleep (more so than during the week), the teachers don't want to be there, etc.
The article makes me chuckle though. Having to cut the curriculum? HA! My school has 7 periods in the day. If we cut down the 10 minute free-for-all, we could add another period onto the day and knock out an extra 5 periods a week, 7 if we didn't have the last periods free on monday and friday.
ANYWAY, I'll believe it when I see it. As it stands, cutting out saturdays means that parents have to find something for their kids to do/someone to watch them on that time - they don't want that. |
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