How did a war-torn, aid-dependent country become a global economic powerhouse? Seun Akioye who just returned from South Korea had a rare glimpse into the education system and reports that “happy education” has been the key to Korea’s economic recovery. Now, it wants to help Nigeria get it right.
The economic indicators for the Republic of South Korea should fill many countries with envy. With a total of $1.790 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) putting it in the 13th position in the world and a per capital of $35, 485 in the 29th position.
That is not all, in East Asia; it is the highest ranked developed country in the Human Development Index with its citizens enjoying a high standard of living. It is ranked as the most innovative country and it is the most research and development intensive country. If you think Europe’s internet connectivity is superb, wait for this, Korea has the world’s fastest internet connection and ranks first in e-government.
It is the world’s seventh largest importer and the eighth largest exporter with global brands like Samsung and Hyundai. In a period of about 40 years, South Korea has become a globally ranked country in education with a 100 percent literacy level and with the highest number of youths with a Bachelors Degree.
How happy education saved Korea
South Korea has not always been the investor’s destination or the country with the highest living standard in Southeast Asia. In fact, it had many similarities with Nigeria and many other third world countries. A former empire whose last dynasty, the Joseon dynasty was sacked by the Japanese in 1917, who later invoked a draconian rule over the country. The rule ended in 1945 with Japan’s defeat in the Second World War and it wasn’t long before Korea began its own civil war with the North from 1950 to 1953.
What followed was a period of military coups with one regime deposing the other until General Park Chung-Hee seized power in 1961 and ruled until he was assassinated in 1979 through both civilian and military regime. Park was credited with creating the “Miracle of the Han River,” through his economic policies which turned Korea into an industrialised country almost overnight. While the two five-year economic policies of Park, the determination of the ordinary Korean to succeed and become developed may have been the primary reason for Korean miracle, education tailored towards economic development was the driving force behind it.
Before independence, the literacy rate of Korea was less than 20 percent of the population, with no skill and technology, and a barren land with no mineral resources; the country was in chaos and poverty. This realisation forced the leaders to pay attention to basic education.
There were different stages of economic policies in Korea at different times and different educational policies to drive them. In the 1960s, when the economy was sustained by Agriculture, the emphasis was on basic education. Through the 1970 to 1980 when the economy focused on manufacturing and construction respectively, the Korean government emphasised on the need for vocational education. Today, the goal is to acquire university education because the economy is now service-driven.
According to Dr. Ju Hur of the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), who spoke with The Nation in Busan, the educational development plan is to drive the economic development. “Korea had the two five year education plans in 1962 and 1967 to add 100 new primary schools every year. That was the magic, the number of students who enrolled in primary schools increased and despite being a poor country, 80 percent of the Ministry of Education budget was spent on primary education.”
The heavy investment in education paid off with a positive social shift which created a change in the Korean society and began the process of industrialization. It was a free and compulsory primary education for Koreans and this spilled over to secondary and university education, by 1980, high school enrollment had reached 63 percent and by 2000 it was 96 percent.
Today Korea has 100 percent literacy rate with 99 percent advancement rate from primary to secondary, 80 percent from secondary to the university. The government has continued to invest in education with increased funding from 78.47 billion KRW in 1970 to 35 trillion KRW in 2008. In 2012, education took 17.6 percent of government budget.
The teachers are not left behind, unlike in Nigeria, teaching is one of the most prestigious professions and the teachers are highly paid. Teaching according to one of the teachers, is a sure and steady path to prosperity in Korea. But the process is long and torturous, for instance all teachers must pass through the National University of Education and then pass the provincial exam to teach in that province. There are also constant examinations and promotional tests to keep the teachers updated and on course.
The teachers – both private and public – enjoy special status from the government, as they cannot be sacked except by a special court decision for gross misconduct. Currently, the government has again overhauled its education policy, focusing on what it calls “Happy Education.” The aim of this is in line with the 21st century realities and need; and is designed to equip the student with the needed skills to live in a globally competitive world.
According to Hee Do Chun, the Executive Secretary of Education at the Gyeongsangnamdo Education Office, “Happy education is a class where everyone smiles and the focus is taken from teacher to student. It is the students that are driving the process and they are able to engage their imagination. They are also able to discover the power of the question why?”
Technology-driven schools
In recent years, Korea has increased its partnership with Nigeria through development aids and training for selected government officials. The aim is to increase the technical capacity of key policy makers in Nigeria towards the development of key sectors in the country. The arm of the government responsible for this is the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), a government-run agency with more than 180 development partners around the world. Established in 2008 in Nigeria, it has provided technical assistance to many Nigerians in the areas of vocational training, agriculture, governance and education.
In 2011, KOICA, through the National Planning Commission (NPC) proposed the establishment of a $15million Abuja Model School. The school which will comprise of primary and junior secondary schools will be modeled after the Korean basic schools, except in curriculum. The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) which is the beneficiary of the school also agreed to compliment the school by building a nursery and senior secondary school.
Recently, KOICA hosted an international conference of stakeholders and policy makers from the two countries in Busan, South Korea. The aim is to enable the Nigerian stakeholders have a firsthand evaluation of the Korean elementary school system and also discuss on progress and work-plan for the Abuja project.
Participants at the conference include: Mr. Kabir Usman Mohammed, the Secretary for Education, leading a team of high caliber officials from the FCT, Dr. Yakubu Gambo, Deputy Executive Secretary , Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) also leading a team, Ms. Rekiya Atta, Special Assistant to the Minister, NPC on International Cooperation, a representative from the Federal Ministry of Education and representatives from the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council ( NERDC) and the Teachers Registration Council (TRC).
The conference was organised by the University of Youngsan, which has been appointed as the consultants to the project. During a visit to the Yungsan campus of the institution, the president of the university, Kim Kyu Chul said in the age of globalisation, global education is becoming important and Korea has been a leader in this light. He expressed optimism that the Nigerian delegates would learn some of the best practices in Korea, which will help in developing the basic education in Nigeria.
The choice of Youngsan was strategic. Founded in 1973 by a couple Bu Bong Huan and Park Bong Suk, the university has a population of 32,000 students and is one of the highly rated schools in Korea, operating from two campuses in Yangsan and Busan. The school has also developed a policy of WISE education, which may prove instructive in the Abuja school project.
For Professor Jay Gill Pyeon, the project manager, it was love at first sight and he has high hopes for the model school. He told The Nation: “When I saw the project paper I was interested immediately, when I went to Nigeria, the situation was worse than I expected, there were 70 students sitting there without textbooks, the model schools we went to were disappointing.”
He continued: “Nigeria is richer than South Africa in gross terms, where has all the money gone? This project is about making people happy and if the Nigerian children are happy, I am fulfilled.”
It was in the light of this that KOICA decided to expose the Nigerian delegation to the basic education system in Korea. The team visited three elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. The Bunpo Elementary School in Namgu Busan was established in 2001 and has a total population of 853 students. All the schools are usually two-storied buildings with all the facilities that would create a “happy education”. There are 25 students in all the classes and a multipurpose white board.
Every student and teachers in all public schools must remove their shoes at the lobby and wear the school provided soft sandals. All the schools are fitted with multipurpose gymnasium and the classes have projectors which are used in learning. Most importantly, elementary schools in Korea, like the country itself are technologically-driven.
There are smart classrooms where technology is utilized for learning. The smart classrooms are fitted with electronic boards and computers. Students use IPADs and other digital devices to create an autonomous creative school system. Instructions are passed into all the classrooms which the students can view on their electronic boards.
Needless to say, Korea elementary students are highly technically savvy. Primary school students are capable of developing computer applications for designs and the arts and secondary school students are able to design and build complex machines. For instance, at Changwon Mechanical Technical High School, the students are able to design and build high tech machines by the second year.
The Abuja model school project
Mr. Kabir Mohammed is already dreaming about the model school in Abuja. “This model school will be a leading model for public schools in Nigeria and it will increase the accessibility of good students from poor families to high quality education. We want it to be the symbol of unity,” he told The Nation in Busan.
Mohammed said when completed the school will be a public school and students from the 36 states will be admitted “if they pass the entrance examination.” He said: “Every state will be represented and at least one admission slot will be given to each state, so it is going to be very competitive.”
The project which will start in 2015 and completed in 2017 will see the Korean government building primary and junior secondary school while the FCT administration will build the nursery and senior secondary school. According to the country representative, KOICA, Mr. Jung Sang-Hoon, the project is in line with the achievement of goal two of the Millennium Development Goal.
Jung said a land has been approved by the FCT on LOT 70 and 235, Research Institution District along airport road and it is 43,540 square meters. The architectural design was done by Dosung Architects and Associates which has projects all over the world.
According to Dr. Gambo, the model school will be funded through the UBEC-FCT fund and community participation in the sustainability of the school will be vital. On teacher’s recruitment, Mohammed said it will be competitive stressing that though the FCT has the best teachers in the country, the teachers for the model school will be the very best. But he ruled out special salary package for the teachers saying it will be in sync with what obtains in the FCT.
He also said some form of decentralization of authority will be accommodated at the model school so that school heads can take key management decisions for school effectiveness. He also said the UBEC and FCT would create a separate budget line within the UBEC budget to cater for the running of the school.
The school will also have hostels and free bus shuttle for students all over the FCT. Already Pyeon wants all the infrastructures in the Korean elementary schools be replicated in the Abuja model school. But for the FCT, funding is still a big challenge. “We are working hard on getting some funds so that we can also start our own part of the project,” Mohammed said.
The stakeholders believe that the FCT is already on the right part towards the establishment of the model school. While the officials have been exposed to the high Korean standard, they believe that the model school will just be the beginning of a radical change in Nigeria’s education system. “We have seen the standard in Korea and we are going home to see how our educational standards can be improved upon. This project when completed will serve as a model to be replicated in other area councils of the FCT,” says Allawan Kamfut, a Deputy Director of Education, FCT.
