In an interview with BBC News, 16-year-old Hye-Min Park explains that her studious efforts are all in the name of achieving her dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher. Attending hagwons in South Korea is a part of that journey.
A day in the life of a South Korean Student
Park leaves her home for school at 7:30 a.m. which she attends until 4:00 p.m. She returns home for a quick bite, leaving again for private lessons at her hagwon from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
After her hagwon lessons conclude, she heads back to school for a study session until 11 p.m. Once she gets home, she continues studying until 2 a.m. Her alarm is set for 6:30 a.m. to wake up later that morning to do it all over again.
Despite seeming like a long and intensive day, Park explains that she is able to forget her hardships when she sees her efforts pay off in the form of good marks at school.
What is a hagwon?
Hagwons are for-profit private institutions throughout South Korea that students often attend in substitution of public kindergarten or preschool, as an after-school program and sometimes both.
Some have nick-named these institutions “crammers” as hagwons in South Korea typically teach a fast-paced curriculum in various subjects including English grammar, mathematics, fine arts and music.
Nearly 100,000 hagwons can be found throughout the country, and 95 percent of students have taken lessons from these institutions by the time they graduate high school.
The Cost
South Korean parents spent over $15 billion, or 18 trillion Korean Won, on private education annually. That’s more than triple the average Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country’s expenditure on private education, and more than anywhere else in the world.
The hagwon structure may be evolving the educational system, acting as a market in which supply and demand rule all.
Three-quarters of Korean students prefer their hagwon lessons to their day school classes. Sohn Kwang Kyun, a math teacher at Sky Education (a top-grossing hagwon), thinks this is because hagwons are consumer-oriented. Hagwon lessons match students’ abilities with the appropriate lessons and pace.
Choi Jung Yoon is also a teacher at Sky Ed. Yoon believes that the preference towards hagwons is also because they are elective; because students elect to take them, they are more engaged.
But how optional are they? The importance of gaining admission into top universities fuels the demand for supplementary lessons from private institutions like hagwons. Further, increasing competition may necessitate hagwon attendance.
The price of hagwons may come at another cost: a loss of interest and motivation in the formal education system and increased stress.
Self-harm was the number one cause of premature death in 2016. Self-harm claims approximately 900 lives annually and continues to be the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults under 30. Depression and anxiety disorders rank fourth and ninth, respectively, for health problems causing the most disability.
Hagwons in South Korea is designed to enhance students’ cognitive abilities and contribute to South Korea‘s admirable reputation of educational devotion. However, the added responsibility may also add pressure on Korean students and compromise their mental health.
– Sloan Bousselaire
Photo: Flickr
Combating Poverty in South Africa With Opera
The nonprofit organization Voices of South Africa has helped numerous South Africans realize their aspiration of a life beyond their impoverished communities, by enabling them to pursue their dreams of singing opera. In a country where over 50 percent of people live in poverty, the struggle to fulfill one’s everyday needs can easily eclipse such faraway dreams as a college education or the pursuit of a career which one is truly passionate about. Such is the case for many in South Africa, where poverty has been on the rise over the past decade. Today poverty in South Africa affects more than 30 million people, and high rates of violent crime, drug use and HIV/AIDS continue to be major sources of concern.
It would seem unlikely given these conditions that South Africa could have produced an astonishing number of world-class opera singers and been dubbed the “vocal breadbasket” in the past decade, but that is precisely the case. These singers represent the triumph of ambitious aspirations over considerable situational odds.
South Africa has a longstanding and rich choral tradition that has sparked an interest in opera and studying classical voice in many young South Africans. Embarking on an operatic career, however, requires a significant amount of time and money as well as access to specialized training and advanced levels of education. As indicated by the poverty rate, these resources are not available to the average South African. Recognizing this divide, opera singer Njabulo Madlala, a South Africa native, founded Voices of South Africa’s national opera singing workshops and competition in 2010, as a means of inspiring and supporting the next generation of South African opera singers. This registered nonprofit has played a key role in facilitating the education and career launch of several of the South African singers who have recently been hailed as some of the most promising newcomers to the international opera industry.
Each year, the organization selects a handful of the most talented singers who audition to participate in an intensive two-week program that involves individual vocal coaching, mentoring and career guidance and culminates in a gala concert. Each of the selected singers receives the necessary financial support to attend the program as well as the invaluable chance to work with respected members of the opera community for free. The singers are further supported during the application and audition process for music schools and professional programs. Moreover, a chief tenet of the program is helping the singers build the requisite skills to take advantage of opportunities that exist and create work for themselves so that they are able make a living whatever their current situation may be.
The organization’s founder and artistic and executive director has sung at some of the most prominent opera houses in Europe but comes from an impoverished background similar to that of many of his program’s participants. Njabulo Madlala grew up in an economically disadvantaged, single-parent household in Durban, where he was surrounded by poverty and crime. He was given the chance to escape poverty in South Africa and pursue his dream of singing when he was awarded a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Madlala founded the Voices of South Africa program with the desire to help give other singers the same chance he was lucky enough to receive.
Soprano Noluvuyiso Mpofo is a former Voices of South Africa participant, who has now embarked on a successful career. Mpofo placed third in the prestigious international Operalia competition, hosted by Plácido Domingo in 2011, and won second place in the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition – the “world cup” of opera – in 2013. The international acclaim focused on Mpofo and other South African opera stars such as Pretty Yende and Pumeza Matshikiza has undoubtedly been an appreciated source of national pride for a country beset with hardship.
Although it caters to a small niche, Voices of South Africa is an example of an initiative working to transform lives through education and mentorship programs for young adults. This organization has impacted the lives of numerous young South Africans by offering them the opportunity to escape their vulnerable situations and follow their dreams. The establishment of similar organizations catering to a wide range of interests and groups would surely go a long way toward reducing poverty in South Africa.
– Savannah Bequeaith
Photo: Flickr
Seven Things to Know About Education in Myanmar
Due to a variety of factors, the access to quality education in Myanmar is generally poor. Below are seven things everyone should know about education in Myanmar.
Though the investment in education in Myanmar has improved in recent years, there is still a lot of progress to be made within the country’s education system. Many organizations, such as QBEP and UNICEF, are taking steps in the right direction by working to provide better access to education for all children in Myanmar.
– Haley Rogers
Photo: Flickr
The Varkey Foundation Seeks Education Advancement Globally
The foundation started with Sunny Varkey, an education entrepreneur who believes that education “plays a key role in reducing conflict, prejudice, poverty and intolerance around the world.” Through the Varkey Foundation, programs geared toward improving classroom instruction, teacher appreciation and the advocation for improved global education have helped the world greatly.
The following are descriptions of the Varkey Foundation’s various campaigns and programs:
The Instructional Leader Program is a low-cost teacher training program that addresses the issue of teacher quality. This program consists of a five day, face-to-face course aimed at school administration and principals in order to improve teacher quality within schools. The Varkey Foundation also has training courses for tutors. It has established satellite schools to continue professional development and Saturday workshops based on school needs.
Making Ghanaian Girls Great! (MGCubed) is an interactive distance-learning program—the first of its kind in Ghana. Through the use of technology and multimedia content, MGCubed is able to deliver quality teaching to over five thousand students throughout Ghana. This program uses solar powered computers and projectors to broadcast lessons to connected classrooms across Ghana. Through MGCubed, the quality of education increases and girls also have access to an after-school program specifically geared toward gender studies.
Varkey Teacher Ambassadors are role models who promote great practices in education and are leaders in developing learning techniques. These teachers are known to go above and beyond for their students’ education for the best possible future. The teachers who become ambassadors are given the opportunity to share and promote their projects to larger audiences online or at the Global Education and Skills Forum.
The Global Teacher Prize is a $1 million prize that is annually given to a teacher that has made an extraordinary contribution to their profession. The purpose of this prize acknowledges that teachers should be recognized and celebrated for their efforts. Not only does this prize reflect the impact of the teacher on their students, but also their effort put forth in bettering the community. Through the recognition of hard working teachers, education can improve, thus improving social, political, health and economic issues throughout the world.
The purpose of the Global Education and Skills Forum is to address the challenges of education and how to improve them. This forum brings together world leaders from public, social and private sectors to seek solutions for these issues. The forum emphasizes the question, “How do we get there together?” In other words, the event is meant to bring focus to how leaders can take these solutions, implement them and make sure they benefit everyone. The forum lasts two days, where more than 2,000 delegates share and debate new ways to transform education to best benefit the world.
The Varkey Foundation focuses intently on education and leaders within education in order to improve students and communities around the world. The Varkey Foundation’s programs and campaigns continue to focus on the best possible solution, as well as acknowledging teachers in all their efforts.
– Rebekah Covey
Photo: Flickr
Hunger in Guadeloupe Needs Improvement
Current Statistics
Impact of COVID-19
Good News
Despite facing numerous challenges, there is promising news for the agricultural sector in Guadeloupe. Farmers in the region have responded to these challenges by broadening their crop range and prioritizing greater self-sufficiency in resources, labor and marketing. These adaptations indicate a transition towards more sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices.
Final Thoughts
The current situation in Guadeloupe is alarming due to high poverty rates, malnourishment among older adults and increased obesity among the population. Resolving these issues will require a comprehensive strategy that includes economic assistance, reforms in the agricultural sector, and the implementation of public health programs. Such steps will help reduce unemployment and poverty and ensure access to nutritious food for all residents of Guadeloupe.
– Scott Kesselring and Maria Waleed
Photo: Flickr
Updated: October 18, 2024
Education in Spain Requires Immediate Improvements
Education in Spain is a broad and extended topic. Although the federal form of government in the country resides in Madrid, and is lead by the prime minister Mariano Rajoy, the country is divided within 17 autonomous regions that have smaller forms of government within each one. This leads to some schools in Spain teaching Spanish in the particular dialect from each region, such as in Catalonia, the Basque country, Galicia and more.
The Spanish schooling system is divided within three categories: public schools, private schools and state-funded private schools. Regardless of public schools being completely funded by the state, thus free of charge for the students who attend such schools, class materials, books and sometimes uniforms still need to be paid with citizens’ own money.
Sunken within the 2008 economic crisis, the European country of Spain has just now started to recover its economy and generate interest, breaking the loop that has positioned the country at the second highest unemployment rate within the European Union, Greece taking the first place. The sector that has been most affected by the economic crisis of the past several years has been public education in Spain. This issue has been a notoriously increasing one since the economic crisis started, due to extreme budget cuts on the public schooling system within the European country.
Prime minister Mariano Rajoy declared José Ignacio Wert as the minister for education in the year of 2011, and from then to 2015, when Wert was substituted by Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, education was greatly affected. From the year 2012 to 2013, public schools’ teaching systems declined when sharp cuts forced the government to leave up to 25,000 teachers unemployed. Public universities’ tuition fees increased by 66 percent, taking Spanish citizens out on the street to protest the dreadful management that increased the numbers of people who could not afford education for their families.
The main consequence regarding these issues has been the increase of school dropouts, which stood at an alarming rate of 25 percent in 2014, the highest school dropout rate in the European Union. However, there is good news. Even with high levels of poverty, education in Spain was ranked as having the 12th lowest inequality gap for students of all the countries in Europe.
Spanish residents fight for a better schooling system and education in Spain everyday. The lack of teachers, economic resources and the increase of students per class have lead to a series of educational strikes in order to make the Spanish government understand and respond to the gravity of the issue.
– Paula Gibson
Photo: Flickr
The Need for Sustainable Advancement in Developing Countries
According to CAIT Climate Data Explorer, there are a few developing countries – including Indonesia, India and Brazil – that are on the list of top 10 highest emitters of greenhouse gases. Additionally, CAIT’s 2017 report analysis shows that all developing countries contribute 60 percent of global emissions. This means that developing countries are growing industrially, but it also means there is a more negative impact on the environment that comes with this growth. In compliance with the Paris Agreement, developed countries are initiating programs to be more sustainable, so it is important to invest in sustainable practices in developing countries as well.
Sustainable advancement in developing countries is not hard to achieve. For example, the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project by ClimateWorks is a global collaboration program that identifies problems of carbon emissions and finds solutions, while still sustaining economic growth. Research done by the World Resource Institute shows that 21 countries have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by using sustainable practices, while still maintaining economic growth.
Knowing how beneficial sustainability can be for economic growth as well as for the environment, the U.N. has adopted Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. These goals are aimed at increasing human prosperity by giving access to education and equal rights, but balancing this with sustainable practices that will protect our planet. By combating these two issues at once, programs such as the Sustainable Development Goals will help developing countries prosper.
– Deanna Wetmore
Photo: Flickr
6 African Countries Receive Life-Saving Cancer Treatments
The agreement was made between two major pharmaceutical companies: Pfizer, located in the U.S. and Cipla, one of the giants in the Indian pharmaceutical world. Both will cut the prices of 16 cancer treatment drugs, including chemotherapies, for six countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are most affected by the disease.
The six countries receiving major discounts on cancer medicines are Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. A press release by the ACS reveals these are the countries in major need of health improvement, as 44 percent of all cancer cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa each year happen in these six targeted countries.
According to the Pharmaceutical Journal, there were an estimated 626,000 new cases of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa in 2012, leading to a total of 447,000 deaths by cancer. The World Health Organization predicts this figure could double by 2030 if nothing is done, with killings reaching almost one million sub-Saharan Africans. In comparison to the U.S., with 90 percent of women surviving five years with breast cancer, Uganda and Gambia have survival rates of 46 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Some of the factors explaining the start of Africa’s cancer crisis are the lack of training for providers, shortages of medications and the insufficiency of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. Another barrier to quality care for cancer patients in Africa is linked to biology. In fact, there are differences in tumor biology between African cancer patients and patients in developed countries. As an example, African patients often have bigger tumors than patients in other regions, which demands much more care as well as adequate infrastructure to research solutions for curing the disease.
Funding is also a major problem for sub-Saharan Africa, as global funding for cancer prevention and treatment in other low-income countries represents only two percent of global health spending. This is far lower than the health spending for diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.
Having access to high-quality and affordable cancer treatment facilities and medicine in sub-Saharan Africa has become a major goal for ACS and its partner organizations. On top of this agreement, they are preparing long term strategies that will improve the lack of care facing many African patients for years to come.
– Sarah Soutoul
Photo: Flickr
6 Effective Health Innovations for Underdeveloped Areas
6 Effective Health Innovations for Underdeveloped Areas
All of these health innovations have provided great support for hospitals and medical clinics in developing and underdeveloped areas at a much more affordable price than what was previously available. While the ultimate goal is to be able to use more expensive equipment, these medical innovations provide a solution to improving healthcare in these areas for the time being.
– Rebekah Covey
Photo: Flickr
Water in Pakistan
This specific issue of arsenic contamination points to a broader theme of water contamination on the whole. Water supply lines are often located directly adjacent to uncovered sewage lines, causing water contamination to be so prevalent that 40 percent of all ailments in Pakistan are the result of water-borne illnesses. Further, access to clean water in Pakistan is not recognized as a national right but is seen as a responsibility which local governments are meant to take on. This means that such access fluctuates depending on the area, although infrastructural support for a clean water system is, on the whole, dismal.
The scarcity of clean water in Pakistan has allowed extremist groups to use water as a focal point of their recruitment process. Lakshar-e-Taiba, an extremist group that perpetrated the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 172 people were killed, has accused India of committing “water terrorism,” citing such as motivation for terrorist actions in India. By exploiting the issue of water, an issue which every Pakistani citizen is forced to deal with in order to survive, extremist organizations are able to reach larger swathes of the “common man” and augment grassroots support. Thus, the issue of water in Pakistan goes beyond simple health problems and infiltrates international security issues as well.
The wide berth of the problem has initiated an increase in the bottled water industry, but the reality is that such is still financially inaccessible to the majority of low-income individuals, forcing low-income communities to rely on easily contaminated groundwater. In order to address this, an organization called Pharmagen has entered the scene. Pharmagen ensures its water is affordable for low-income customers, requiring only two rupees per liter. It operates through a chain of open water shops that extracts groundwater and purifies it to meet WHO standards before distributing it to the impoverished communities it serves. Currently, the organization provides more than 100,000 liters of potable water per day in Lahore alone and seeks to expand to include 32 additional open water shops while also adding one bottled water facility.
Yet, it is important to note that 21.6 million people in Pakistan still have no access to clean water, and this is a hotbed for extremist activities. The work of organizations such as Pharmagen is both admirable and necessary, but it is also necessary that the international community step up as a whole; the issue of water in Pakistan ultimately goes beyond Pakistan-specific problems, due to its relationship with international extremist organizations. In a world teeming with terrorist activities, it would appear that mitigating grassroots extremist movements by improving access to clean water should have a greater presence on the world stage.
– Kailee Nardi
Photo: Google
Hagwons in South Korea
In an interview with BBC News, 16-year-old Hye-Min Park explains that her studious efforts are all in the name of achieving her dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher. Attending hagwons in South Korea is a part of that journey.
A day in the life of a South Korean Student
Park leaves her home for school at 7:30 a.m. which she attends until 4:00 p.m. She returns home for a quick bite, leaving again for private lessons at her hagwon from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
After her hagwon lessons conclude, she heads back to school for a study session until 11 p.m. Once she gets home, she continues studying until 2 a.m. Her alarm is set for 6:30 a.m. to wake up later that morning to do it all over again.
Despite seeming like a long and intensive day, Park explains that she is able to forget her hardships when she sees her efforts pay off in the form of good marks at school.
What is a hagwon?
Hagwons are for-profit private institutions throughout South Korea that students often attend in substitution of public kindergarten or preschool, as an after-school program and sometimes both.
Some have nick-named these institutions “crammers” as hagwons in South Korea typically teach a fast-paced curriculum in various subjects including English grammar, mathematics, fine arts and music.
Nearly 100,000 hagwons can be found throughout the country, and 95 percent of students have taken lessons from these institutions by the time they graduate high school.
The Cost
South Korean parents spent over $15 billion, or 18 trillion Korean Won, on private education annually. That’s more than triple the average Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country’s expenditure on private education, and more than anywhere else in the world.
The hagwon structure may be evolving the educational system, acting as a market in which supply and demand rule all.
Three-quarters of Korean students prefer their hagwon lessons to their day school classes. Sohn Kwang Kyun, a math teacher at Sky Education (a top-grossing hagwon), thinks this is because hagwons are consumer-oriented. Hagwon lessons match students’ abilities with the appropriate lessons and pace.
Choi Jung Yoon is also a teacher at Sky Ed. Yoon believes that the preference towards hagwons is also because they are elective; because students elect to take them, they are more engaged.
But how optional are they? The importance of gaining admission into top universities fuels the demand for supplementary lessons from private institutions like hagwons. Further, increasing competition may necessitate hagwon attendance.
The price of hagwons may come at another cost: a loss of interest and motivation in the formal education system and increased stress.
Self-harm was the number one cause of premature death in 2016. Self-harm claims approximately 900 lives annually and continues to be the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults under 30. Depression and anxiety disorders rank fourth and ninth, respectively, for health problems causing the most disability.
Hagwons in South Korea is designed to enhance students’ cognitive abilities and contribute to South Korea‘s admirable reputation of educational devotion. However, the added responsibility may also add pressure on Korean students and compromise their mental health.
– Sloan Bousselaire
Photo: Flickr