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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 1:32 pm Post subject: "number of students nosedive" |
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...having a hard time falling asleep recently. The owner of five private after-school institutes in areas like Gangnam, Seoul and Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, has witnessed the number of students nosedive even during the peak summer season when students are out of school. "The number of students we have is only 70 percent of the level during the same period last year. I have been trying to make up for the deficits of four institutes with the income from one institute in Gangnam, where we have barely managed to stay in the black,"
The education service sector, which usually enjoys a peak season in July, contracted by 9.6 percent year-on-year and recorded the highest drop in growth since the beginning of the count in 2000.
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004090702548 |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:30 pm Post subject: makes sense |
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Possibly the reason for this massive drop is the fact that the government is putting over 100 foreign English teachers in 100 elementary schools within the Gyonggi-do province.
In an effort to improve student access to foriegn speakers and cut down on the number of unscrupulous hogwan owners the government started this program. I believe that many parents, rather than pay extravagent amounts of money, will keep the money and be happy with their children having access to an English speaker at the local school.
Time will tell but I for one believe the milk and honey days of the hogwan owner will vanish quickly as this program becomes more widespread throughout Korea. |
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Falstaff
Joined: 14 Jan 2004
Location: Ansan
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with the dwarf on this one. I met and spoke with the governor of Gyeonggi-do a few weeks ago, and he is committed to making English instruction by native speakers accessible to all students in Gyeonggi at no additional cost to the parents. Between GEPIK (through which Grotto is employed) and the Ansan English Village (which employs me  , I'd the say the governor is well on his way to making this happen. What does it mean for the hogwan owner? Well, if these programs work, hogwan enrollment will probably continue to suffer. |
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Gord
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:02 pm Post subject: Re: makes sense |
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| Grotto wrote: |
Possibly the reason for this massive drop is the fact that the government is putting over 100 foreign English teachers in 100 elementary schools within the Gyonggi-do province.
In an effort to improve student access to foriegn speakers and cut down on the number of unscrupulous hogwan owners the government started this program. I believe that many parents, rather than pay extravagent amounts of money, will keep the money and be happy with their children having access to an English speaker at the local school.
Time will tell but I for one believe the milk and honey days of the hogwan owner will vanish quickly as this program becomes more widespread throughout Korea. |
I was unaware that foreign English teachers were going to be teaching math, science, history, Korean grammar, Korean literature, Chinese, history, computers, music, art, and a few other subjects. Where do they find these super teachers that can teach anything and everything in multiple languages? |
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FUBAR
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: The Y.C.
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: makes sense |
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| Gord wrote: |
I was unaware that foreign English teachers were going to be teaching math, science, history, Korean grammar, Korean literature, Chinese, history, computers, music, art, and a few other subjects. Where do they find these super teachers that can teach anything and everything in multiple languages? |
Actually, in Busan they do have some after school programs like this. The teachers go to designated schools where the students are able to study these subjects free of charge. I was told by the teachers at my schools that it is being done, not in an attempt to drive the hagwons out of business, but to provide an opportunity for the lower income students to have a somewhat fair shot at higher education. |
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Gord
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: makes sense |
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| FUBAR wrote: |
| Actually, in Busan they do have some after school programs like this. The teachers go to designated schools where the students are able to study these subjects free of charge. I was told by the teachers at my schools that it is being done, not in an attempt to drive the hagwons out of business, but to provide an opportunity for the lower income students to have a somewhat fair shot at higher education. |
I was bringing attention to the fact that Grotto didn't actually read the article. It wasn't talking about enrollment at English academies like he was claiming, but rather academies across the board.
Another factor could be that EBS and private companies now are offering low cost online tutoring and streaming lessons. Well, EBS is free for their streaming feeds, and two people I know have opened up online teaching schools in recent months. With one woman, her English lessons average 40 students per class and cost 80,000 Won a month for 1.5 hours a day. That's a steal compared to the average rate. And these students are coming from somewhere, thus contributing to the lower number of students elsewhere. She offered me a job for 2M+housing a month for 3 hours a day. That's a pretty good deal, and I wouldn't have to leave my apartment. Or wear pants. |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:51 pm Post subject: yawn |
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Bored with gord.
since the post does not specify exactly what type of academies they are I mentioned a valid reason why they might be having trouble if they were English academies.
Yet again an assinine posting by the ego know as gord. YAWN 
Oh yes in other posts where you claim that I agree with you I guess that I will just have to write THIS IS SARCASM YOU DUMB &^$*^%*^ so that your meager IQ can grasp the point being made. |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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| RElated to the GEPIK thing. I don't think many of you've taught classes yet, but trust me, there's a huge difference between kids that go ot English academies and those that only get the standard school curriculum. |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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Gord wrote
What a surprise  Gord is unaware  Well that is certainly a true statement. I dont think I have ever had the displeasure of reading posts from anyone as unaware as he is.
Gord wrote
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| math, science, history, Korean grammar, Korean literature, Chinese, history, computers, music, art, and a few other subjects |
Wow I wasnt aware that these after school academies (5) taught all these subjects. That must be one hell of an academy to teach that many subjects. Why doesnt the Korean government close all publc schools and let this magical hogwan take over, Why it would save billions (oh yeah this is sarcasm you dumb%$#^&^)
Working in a public school certainly is different from a private academy there are more students per class and the differences in levels of English is much more varied. My co-teacher and I agree that the idea is for me to supplement the curriculum not teach out of the book. The students get taught out of the book 4 days of the week, one day of the week they get taught by me and I will endeavor to make it interesting and pertinant to the curriculum.
Okay assmunch fire away. |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:33 pm Post subject: More GEPIK stuff. . |
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| Grotto wrote: |
| The students get taught out of the book 4 days of the week, one day of the week they get taught by me and I will endeavor to make it interesting and pertinant to the curriculum. |
Your kids get English five days a week? maybe I am using an entirely different curriculum, because my kids in grade 3 and 4 get one lesson a week, and the grade 5 and 6's get two.
Last edited by peppermint on Mon Sep 06, 2004 11:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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thats what I was told Peppermint.....They study English one period per day with their Korean teachers and one period a week with me.
Monday I teach grade 4's Tuesday grade 3's, Wednesday and Thursday grade 6's and Friday grade 5.
I was told that I would be teaching grade 5's and 6's twice a week but the schedule says only one. 21 classes a week with students and one with teachers, In October I get 5 more classes added on. One more with teachers and 4 special classes.
Could be an ineresting year. |
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nev
Joined: 04 Jan 2004
Location: ch7t
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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Grotto, whether you are right or Gord is right or you both are or neither, when you start ranting like a maniac and call him names it only serves to make you seem infantile and thus weakens any point you are trying to make.
Reading confrontations between you both in the past and knowing nothing of the facts, I have always been inclined to presume Gord to be correct simply because you start spinning into a fury and calling him names like "assmunch". This is behaviour for the students, I'm afraid, not the teachers. |
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manlyboy
Joined: 01 Aug 2004
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| thats what I was told Peppermint.....They study English one period per day with their Korean teachers and one period a week with me. |
I'm pretty sure all of us GEPIK hirees are teaching in line with the schedule as described by Peppermint. Maybe they're referring to the extra-curricular stuff when they say "English one period per day". |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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| If we're using the same curriculum then there's really not a whole lot you can do with it, except fot the grade sixes. I usually do something different with the games. (I'm on my own in the classrooom and it's hard to understand/ explain some of them) |
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manlyboy
Joined: 01 Aug 2004
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| If we're using the same curriculum then there's really not a whole lot you can do with it, except fot the grade sixes. I usually do something different with the games. (I'm on my own in the classrooom and it's hard to understand/ explain some of them) |
All public elementary schools in Korea have been using the 7th national curriculum since 1997, haven't they? At least, that's what the government lecturer told us at GEPIK training. I hear you about not understanding the procedures for the games. In the teacher's guide, the listen and repeat, let's chant, let's write stuff is explained in English but the games are often explained only in Korean. |
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