The Ministry of Education announced that various supplementary classes will be introduced to ease the financial burden of private crammers on families. This new pilot program, conducted by schools in collaboration with local governments, will soon be available in approximately a dozen provincial cities and rural areas. According to Statistics Korea, families spent an average of 434,000 won ($325) per student each month on private education last year, which represented about 12.2 percent of the average monthly salary of 3.55 million won for working individuals.
While some students may succeed without reliance on private crammers, most struggle to achieve academic success in Korea's highly competitive educational environment. To alleviate this burden, the ministry is partnering with local governments to implement new classes in 173 schools -- 67 elementary, 32 middle, and 74 high schools. Their lessons focus on fostering independent learning and improving study habits, with each region receiving 700 million won ($52.4 million) in subsidies.
In the southern port city of Busan, a team of 48 teachers will develop a series of online lectures specifically for local students. Gwangju will engage around 350 trainee teachers to support classroom activities and offer counseling services. Some regions will also focus on non-academic skills; for example, the industrial city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province will work with Kumoh National Institute of Technology to provide classes in drones, robotics, and coding. Additionally, the nearby city of Uljin will collaborate with a local marine sports center to host English-language camping courses.
The ministry will evaluate the program's success in each region by tracking changes and collecting feedback from parents and students. These assessments will decide if the program will be continued next year. If the program proves successful, it is anticipated to be expanded to additional regions, including Seoul, which is not included in this initial phase, according to a ministry official.
