Dads enter domain of private ed
Published: 27 Aug. 2009, 21:02
Fathers and mothers attend a presentation on college admission provided by a private tutoring institute on June 7 in Seoul. By Kim Sang-seon
But nowadays, the resident of Daechi-dong, southern Seoul, can be found reading a lifestyle magazine that provides the latest information about hagwon, or private education institutes.
The reason? He’s taken it upon himself to help his son, a sixth-grader, not only study but also find the best hagwon. That, Choi believes, is how he can help his son secure admission into a special-purpose high school.
“I help my son study English reading comprehension and writing on the weekends,” Choi said. “I try to wrap up my work and come home early.”
It wasn’t always that way. “Dad used to work late and didn’t play with me because he said he had a lot of work,” Choi’s son said. “Now it’s fun to learn with Dad.”
A growing number of Korean fathers, many of whom once delegated the task of finding the best hagwon to mothers, are now eager to spend their time helping their children study and unearthing better education opportunities.
Kim Yeong-il, an official at Highest21, a hagwon that offers courses specifically for those hoping to get into special-purpose high schools, said he now sees more fathers than ever at admission fairs.
“Male visitors account for 15 percent of the visitors at the fairs,” Kim said. “This is a four- to fivefold increase compared to previous years.”
Lee Man-ki, an official from the admission consulting firm Uway, says the percentage is even higher: “Male visitors make up 30 to 40 percent of the population who visit college admission fairs.”
Park, the father of a third-year middle school student, uses his lunch hour to watch math lectures online. By familiarizing himself with the subject matter, he says he can help his daughter study.
“It’s not easy studying math for the first time in 25 years, but actually it saves on tuition fees,” Park said.
Kim Ran-do, a professor in the consumer studies resource management department at Seoul National University, said when parents share in the task of educating their children, the rewards are greater. But, she warned, “a child may have a hard time making his own decisions if parents meddle in every minute detail of his life.”
By Park Su-ryon [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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