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Things like these should make any nation ashamed of itself. This kind of pressure on a growing child can only destroy him or her, and it's no wonder why kids ar

Things like these should make any nation ashamed of itself. This kind of pressure on a growing child can only destroy him or her, and it's no wonder why kids are killing themselves. It's like planting a ticking bomb in their heads and hoping it wouldn't explode if something goes wrong. As a highly educated person myself, I can't deny that studying, learning and improving yourselves are fundamental parts of the process of growing up and becoming a useful member of society, but it can't be done at the expense of someone's sanity, because it totally nullifies its value. Stuffing a kid of knowledge like a pâté goose stops him or her from really enjoying probably it's most critical years to the fullest, and I just can't really see this as a positive thing.

black-tea 8y ago
It could be considered a selective pressure then or, in other words, eugenics.
peterlk 8y ago
Well said. I'd also like to add that the opportunity costs of losing bright minds to suicide, burnout, backstabbing, etc. at a higher rate detracts from the argument that this might produce a more productive society. So from a central planner's perspective, this seems like a bad idea too.
dba7dba 8y ago
How do you think S. Korea transformed from THE poorest nation on the planet after 1953 end of Korean War to top 10 - 15 nation in a 65 year period? Imagine, there are still people alive who were born in the poorest nation on the planet, and now living in a nation that is ranked 15th in GDP. South Korean passport is ranked 3rd most accepted, tied with Germany and France. It wasn't because of natural resources or oil. It wasn't any modern industry that just had to recover after the war such as Germany or Japan did. South Korea had NO modern industry of any kind, higher education institution, a modern workforce, effective government agencies, etc. S. Korea was literally a hell hole of a nation in 1953. After the WTF period Koreans went through from 1910 to 1953 (after having had a 500 years long kingdom, the Chosun dynasty), South Korea just had to do what was necessary to survive. And only way they saw how was producing a workforce to be productive. And no, Montessori method was not a viable option. You don't have to be a highly educated non-Korean to see the education system is not quite right or wrong. Many highly educated and even not so highly educated people IN S. Korea know the question is valid to ask. Some want a change. Many who immigrated out of S. Korea to US and other nations list 2 reasons for leaving the nation, 1) conscription army and 2) the college entrance exam, the Suneung. But it was a system created at a time when there was no time to debate, but to act quickly to produce a workforce, just to survive as a nation. And it has delivered so far. Yes the suicides are tragic. But consider this. Far more S. Koreans have died (including newborn, young, old) from lack of basic medical care in South Korea when only select few had access to modern medical care up until 1970's, 80's. The nation and citizens couldn't pay for it, for lack of wealth, from due to lack of skills needed by a modern workforce. But now that they can afford it, a nation wide medical care system is in place. Without educating the workforce (and yes the Suneung), they wouldn't have that luxury. Easy for you to say they should be ashamed of that. I quite disagree.
- sanxiyn 8y ago
  It is somewhat relevant for this discussion that Suneung was established in 1994 and postdates most of economic growth of South Korea.
  - mismatchpair 8y ago
    Before Suneung, there were equally, if not more, grueling college entrance exams. I think the point the commentor is trying to make is that this type of education has been the fuel for Korea's social and economic rise.
    - tatrajim 8y ago
      And note, historically, that under earlier Korean dynasties from 958 CE Korean elites like their counterparts in China vied for official posts through a grueling set of state exams, collectively known as the "gwageo". The median age of passing the final phase was around 35 years in age, and with a very low rate of passing (14600 passers between 1393-1894, among many millions of aspirants over the centuries) this effectively meant that most members of the elite class spent long decades mastering the complex Confucian canon and wide range of poetic forms required for success. Some passers were in their 70s.
- AYBABTME 8y ago
  Downvoters should reconsider; whether you agree with it or not, this comment is a valuable alternative point of view in the discussion.
- progressiveweb 8y ago
  South Korea transformed from the poorest nation to the richest not because of the trope that education was largely responsible and I don't discount that but it's far fetched to suggest that as a single cause. After all, without Park Chung Hee's military dictatorship, without essentially enslaving 1/2 of the population as a glorified slave with the threat of violence, without handing over the destiny of millions of Koreans to the hands of the dozen family run corporate dynasties (aka chaebols), without the massacre and denial of reparations and the censure, capture, torture and killing of dissidents, South Korea would not be as successful as it is. Life in South Korea during the military dictatorship which lasted 2.5 generations, was just as hard if not oppressive like the North. If you read about the Gwangju Massacre (Korea's Tianmen Square), it's pretty clear that South Korea was virtually no different than North Korea in terms of political freedom. This is the miracle of the Asian tigers - when you don't have natural commodity, the people become that commodity, expendable, something to be taken advantage of by people with capital.
jotjotzzz 8y ago
Kind of related, but I've been curious about this -- highly educated countries also have very high voter turnout. I think South Korea has about 77% voter turnout. I think the U.S. has about 50-55% voter turnout. The more educated everyone is, the more they want to participate. I disagree that this should make you feel ashamed. I think it has its pros and cons.
Jedi72 8y ago
Agree, the purpose of education is to build people up. It should be academically broad, and consisting of other character building activities so that when someone leaves an institution they are a much "better" or at least more developed person than when they came. Not destroy their psyche while at the same time imparting a few useful skills.
foobaw 8y ago
You need to understand this is ingrained into their culture. There's no reason for them to step back and think "we should be ashamed" because it's part of your life. It sucks but change will no be easy.

black-tea 8y ago

It could be considered a selective pressure then or, in other words, eugenics.

peterlk 8y ago

Well said. I'd also like to add that the opportunity costs of losing bright minds to suicide, burnout, backstabbing, etc. at a higher rate detracts from the argument that this might produce a more productive society. So from a central planner's perspective, this seems like a bad idea too.

dba7dba 8y ago

How do you think S. Korea transformed from THE poorest nation on the planet after 1953 end of Korean War to top 10 - 15 nation in a 65 year period? Imagine, there are still people alive who were born in the poorest nation on the planet, and now living in a nation that is ranked 15th in GDP. South Korean passport is ranked 3rd most accepted, tied with Germany and France. It wasn't because of natural resources or oil. It wasn't any modern industry that just had to recover after the war such as Germany or Japan did. South Korea had NO modern industry of any kind, higher education institution, a modern workforce, effective government agencies, etc. S. Korea was literally a hell hole of a nation in 1953. After the WTF period Koreans went through from 1910 to 1953 (after having had a 500 years long kingdom, the Chosun dynasty), South Korea just had to do what was necessary to survive. And only way they saw how was producing a workforce to be productive. And no, Montessori method was not a viable option. You don't have to be a highly educated non-Korean to see the education system is not quite right or wrong. Many highly educated and even not so highly educated people IN S. Korea know the question is valid to ask. Some want a change. Many who immigrated out of S. Korea to US and other nations list 2 reasons for leaving the nation, 1) conscription army and 2) the college entrance exam, the Suneung. But it was a system created at a time when there was no time to debate, but to act quickly to produce a workforce, just to survive as a nation. And it has delivered so far. Yes the suicides are tragic. But consider this. Far more S. Koreans have died (including newborn, young, old) from lack of basic medical care in South Korea when only select few had access to modern medical care up until 1970's, 80's. The nation and citizens couldn't pay for it, for lack of wealth, from due to lack of skills needed by a modern workforce. But now that they can afford it, a nation wide medical care system is in place. Without educating the workforce (and yes the Suneung), they wouldn't have that luxury. Easy for you to say they should be ashamed of that. I quite disagree.

sanxiyn 8y ago
It is somewhat relevant for this discussion that Suneung was established in 1994 and postdates most of economic growth of South Korea.
- mismatchpair 8y ago
  Before Suneung, there were equally, if not more, grueling college entrance exams. I think the point the commentor is trying to make is that this type of education has been the fuel for Korea's social and economic rise.
  - tatrajim 8y ago
    And note, historically, that under earlier Korean dynasties from 958 CE Korean elites like their counterparts in China vied for official posts through a grueling set of state exams, collectively known as the "gwageo". The median age of passing the final phase was around 35 years in age, and with a very low rate of passing (14600 passers between 1393-1894, among many millions of aspirants over the centuries) this effectively meant that most members of the elite class spent long decades mastering the complex Confucian canon and wide range of poetic forms required for success. Some passers were in their 70s.
AYBABTME 8y ago
Downvoters should reconsider; whether you agree with it or not, this comment is a valuable alternative point of view in the discussion.
progressiveweb 8y ago
South Korea transformed from the poorest nation to the richest not because of the trope that education was largely responsible and I don't discount that but it's far fetched to suggest that as a single cause. After all, without Park Chung Hee's military dictatorship, without essentially enslaving 1/2 of the population as a glorified slave with the threat of violence, without handing over the destiny of millions of Koreans to the hands of the dozen family run corporate dynasties (aka chaebols), without the massacre and denial of reparations and the censure, capture, torture and killing of dissidents, South Korea would not be as successful as it is. Life in South Korea during the military dictatorship which lasted 2.5 generations, was just as hard if not oppressive like the North. If you read about the Gwangju Massacre (Korea's Tianmen Square), it's pretty clear that South Korea was virtually no different than North Korea in terms of political freedom. This is the miracle of the Asian tigers - when you don't have natural commodity, the people become that commodity, expendable, something to be taken advantage of by people with capital.

jotjotzzz 8y ago

Kind of related, but I've been curious about this -- highly educated countries also have very high voter turnout. I think South Korea has about 77% voter turnout. I think the U.S. has about 50-55% voter turnout. The more educated everyone is, the more they want to participate. I disagree that this should make you feel ashamed. I think it has its pros and cons.

Jedi72 8y ago

Agree, the purpose of education is to build people up. It should be academically broad, and consisting of other character building activities so that when someone leaves an institution they are a much "better" or at least more developed person than when they came. Not destroy their psyche while at the same time imparting a few useful skills.

foobaw 8y ago

You need to understand this is ingrained into their culture. There's no reason for them to step back and think "we should be ashamed" because it's part of your life. It sucks but change will no be easy.