South Korea’s famous university entrance exam, the Suneung, will it be simplified? This is what South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is considering. This exam, renowned for its difficulty, is a crucial stage in the life of Korean students, which they prepare for through private lessons. A habit that the government wants to change.
With our correspondent in Seoul, Celio Fioretti
Every November, the Suneung exam brings together South Korean high school students facing one of the toughest trials of their lives. To ensure a chance of entering university, students spend days and nights in hagwonprivate study aid schools.
Loss of prestige?
A dependency on private education that President Yoon Suk-yeol wants to reduce. For this, he would like the Suneung to include only subjects present in the high school programs, which is not the case today. A measure that would relieve the wallet of parents who spend an average of nearly €400 per month and per child in these private lessons.
This exam, called “Suneung”, brings together 8 hours of tests in a single day and concerns nearly 500,000 young Koreans each year. It took place this Thursday across the country.
It’s a bit like the baccalaureate, but with a much higher stake.
— Hugo Decrypt (@HugoDecrypt) November 19, 2021
But the president is accused of wanting to simplify an examination whose prestige is due to its difficulty. What cause confusion among students, who no longer know what to prepare. The government seems to be on its way, it has also replaced the head of the development of the exam Friday, June 16.
Students may have some surprises on November 16, when Suneung 2023 is held. But it seems difficult to get away from the hagwonso deeply rooted are they in the South Korean school system.
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