Strange rules in Korean schools: Students all have English names, the sunbae-hoobae relationship

Always ranked among the top countries in the world for academic achievement yet Korean schooling has many strange rules.

When people think of Korea, they think of a civilized and developed country that is Asia’s pride. But behind that remarkable progress are the tireless efforts of young people.

The education system in Korea is renowned for its peculiar restrictions, such as official school schedule till Saturday; the teacher must transfer to another school every 5 years; the senior-junior connection is highly essential…All have contributed to this country’s continued growth and creation of its cultural identity.

High school students must study at least 16 hours per day

In Korea, secondary school students can study up to 16 hours a day, including extra lessons. Particularly high school students start studying at 8am and finish around 9:30 or 10pm. Before each university entrance exam, students have to continue to spend 2-3 hours in revision classes, called ‘hagwons’.

Because of constantly having to study until late, many students do not go home but have to have dinner at school. The schedule for secondary school students is a little less demanding; it lasts roughly 10 hours per day and ends at about 4 pm. However, many students would stay in revision lessons until late at night in order to get into a good high school.

Go to school on Saturday

School timetables in many nations finish on Fridays, but in Korea, all schools are open on Saturdays, giving students and teachers no weekends. However, in 2010, School timetables in many nations finish on Fridays, but in Korea, all schools are open on Saturdays, giving students and teachers no weekends. However, in 2010, the Korean government agreed to allow public school students to only study on two Saturdays every month, acknowledging the problems that students face, the Korean government agreed to allow public school students to only study on two Saturdays every month.

Teachers play the most important role

Koreans place a high value on education, therefore teachers play an important role in society. Teachers’ salaries are not very great, but their social standing is always at the top. Teachers will be treated with the highest respect since education is the most important business in Korea.

A teacher’s retirement age, whether male or female, is 65. Experienced teachers are paid more, have greater benefits, and do not have to work many hours each week. They even have holidays or receive a much higher social allowance than office jobs.

Penalties in schools

In contrast to Western countries where teachers never penalize their students, this is not the case in Korea. In Korea, teachers are allowed to punish students. Male teachers often use whips to punish students who make mistakes and do not follow the rules.

Take off shoes before entering class

Asians have a custom of taking off their shoes before they enter someone’s home, and this tradition is clearly reflected in the way that students take off their shoes before entering the classroom. Before entering the house, Koreans have a habit of properly arranging their shoes in pairs at the door. When walking in the school hallways, they feel that their feet are so filthy that they need to wear a different pair of shoes. Students must thus use a clean pair of slippers in place of shoes if their shoes are dirty.

Teachers have to transfer to another school every 5 years

No matter how much you may enjoy your current job, teachers in Korea are required to move on to a new school every five years. The Principal and the Teachers must go through the grading process and move to another school at the end of each teaching term.

The government wants to provide teachers an equal chance to work in schools with both good and bad conditions by implementing a five-year cycle system. Teachers are assessed by parents and pupils using ratings, particularly in this nation. As a consequence, only the most impartial evaluations are used to choose all teachers. Besides, in Korea there are also a number of so-called ‘model’ schools where top students and teachers gather.

All students have English names

Students from Korea frequently take great pride in their English names. This is a result of the revision center professors frequently asking each student to select an English name for themselves. Every time students introduce themselves in English, this helps to boost their enthusiasm in learning.

College entrance examination

After 12 years of studying, the university entrance exam will be the most important event for a Korean student. To prepare for the university entrance exam, Korean students have had to go through a hard time studying, waking up early and staying up late since they were only in middle school. Students at the age of 18 have to go through great pressure. It is also because of this great pressure that Korea has become the country with the highest suicide rate among OECD countries.

The ‘sunbae-hoobae’ relationship is very important

Korea is a nation that places a high value on manners and the interaction between seniors and juniors. Almost every junior is required to practice etiquette and perform menial tasks for seniors. Any freshman meeting a senior must thoroughly introduce himself and bow down right away. If you encounter that ‘sunbaenim’ 10 times, you will still need to follow these instructions unless you run across a laid-back person.