Once you know how South Korea students study, you’ll think that S’pore students have it easy

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:43 pm

Tired of studying? Think that studying in Singapore is stupid and tough? Well, think again, when you compare yourselves to Koreans.

Singapore, along with other developed Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea are often known for our quality education and high literacy rates. In addition, Singapore and South Korea often tops the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Test, a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The PISA test tests student’s math, English and logic abilities. South Korea is another strong powerhouse, but the Korean students’ lifestyles might actually tougher than that of Singaporeans’. Here are a few reasons to be thankful for all those mugging sessions.

Long school hours
Singaporean students normally have schools that end at, the latest, 2, exclusive of CCA. For South Korea students, schools end at 4pm. Now you can’t complain, huh?

A typical day includes tuition
On top of a regular school curriculum, Korean students typically have private tuition after school. These are not required, but just like how Singaporeans are kiasu, Korean students choose to undergo these rigorous tuition to score well. This means that their typical day may end at 1am, and starts again at 7am.

It is not unnatural for them to do well
When these Korean students took the GCSE exams that are taken by students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Korean students finish in half the expected time, and scoring almost full marks.

Seeking the spiritual
Koreans do pray for their child’s and grandchild’s success in their studies. It is not uncommon for Korea Buddhists to pray to relevant gods to help them in the child’s academic path. In Singapore’s version, some people do pray to Kong Zi.

Such a lifestyle comes with a cost
It is not a surprise to know of the high suicidal rates among South Korean students. There may be many other reasons student choose to end their lives, but the heavy workload might be the reason.

Mental Health
With such intense competition among Korean students, all these long hours of studying and aspiring to do well may cause deteriorating mental health. If it doesn’t the competitive culture carries forward into adult life and working society. The unpleasantness of competition may not be desirable.

Now you know how tough it is to study in an even more competitive society, take a break and reflect!

Top Image: Photocare / Shutterstock.com