Parents as Teachers

Abstract

According to the private education expenditure statistics released by OECD in 2010, Korea marked 41.2%, which was the highest among the OECD countries. Without a doubt, Korean parents are zealous about their children’s English education. The majority of the expenses go to English institutes or private tutoring. Although English education is a compulsory component of the national curriculum in both public and private schools, most Korean parents send their children to private academies for additional English classes. As a result, excessive competition in the English education industry and the cost of private education is getting higher every year. For many Korean families, private English education is a huge burden on their budget; furthermore, private English education widens the gap between the rich and the poor creating social problems.