Education policy outlook in Korea

Title page 1

Contents 4

IN BRIEF 5

QUALITY AND EQUITY: HIGH AVERAGE PERFORMANCE AND EQUITY, STILL WITH HIGH RELIANCE ON PRIVATE TUTORING 6

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE: YOUNG ADULTS HAVE HIGH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT BUT SECURING REWARDING WORK IS A CHALLENGE 9

ECEC AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS SUPPORT LEARNING, WITH SCOPE TO IMPROVE TEACHER WELL-BEING 12

EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT: A COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOLING WITH HIGH STAKES FOR STUDENTS 15

GOVERNANCE: DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS RISK EXACERBATING LONG-STANDING CHALLENGES IN ECEC AND HIGHER EDUCATION 18

FUNDING: HIGH EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURE WITH SCOPE TO REPRIORITISE SPENDING AS STUDENT NUMBERS DECLINE 21

ANNEX A: SELECTED INDICATORS, KEY POLICY ISSUES AND SYSTEM OVERVIEW 24

ANNEX B: SPOTLIGHTS 27

ANNEX C: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES 29

ANNEX D: PREVIOUS OECD REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR KOREA 35

ANNEX E: STATISTICS 37

REFERENCES 39

NOTES 49

Figures 4

Figure 1. Trends in key educational outcomes 5

Figure 2. Quality and equity 24

Figure 3. Preparing students for the future 24

Figure 4. ECEC and school improvement 24

Figure 5. Evaluation and assessment 25

Figure 6. Governance 25

Figure 7. Funding 25

Figure 8. Overview of Korea's education system 26

Spotlights 4

Spotlight 1. Integrating early childhood education and care 27

Spotlight 2. Promoting digital pedagogical innovation across the school network 28

Annex Tables 37

Table 1. Overview of key indicators 37