Over 1 million won in private education expenses... 410,000 won per person, what is this?

If you send up to math, it's 1 million won, but only 410,000 won per person?

Jihyun Park (44), who is raising a fifth-grade elementary school student and a second-grade middle school student in Bongseon-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, says that the burden of private education costs has become overwhelming. Her second child, an elementary school student, attends an English and math academy, and the monthly expense alone reaches 900,000 won.

 

Mr. Park said, "I thought I registered for an English academy for 380,000 won per month, but I end up paying over 550,000 won when including additional costs for tablet learning, textbooks, and transportation. Meanwhile, a middle school student preparing for exams only pays 400,000 won for classes, but a fifth-grade elementary school student spends 500,000 won just on English. If I send my child to math classes as well, it’s almost 1 million won, but the statistic that education expenses per person are 410,000 won doesn’t really resonate." He continued, "Every time I see the education expense statistics, I wonder, 'Why are our household expenses so high?'” and "Parents who actually pay for private education feel that the costs are much higher than what the government reports."

In fact, the average monthly private education expenses per student in the Gwangju area have been steadily increasing. As participation in private education also rises each year, the burden on parents is growing, but there are criticisms that effective measures are lacking.

According to statistics released by the Citizens' Group for a Society Without Prestige on the 14th, the average monthly private education expenditure per student in Gwangju last year was 413,000 won. Although it is lower than the national average of 474,000 won, it increased by 132,000 won compared to 2020 (281,000 won). During the same period, the participation rate in private education also rose from 66.2% to 78.2%.

 

Gwangju Office of Education operates an illegal private education reporting center to crack down on excessive tuition fees, arbitrary extension of teaching hours, and advertisements for advanced learning. However, citizen groups pointed out that "strict enforcement alone cannot reduce dependence on private education" and emphasized the need for practical measures such as reducing the operating hours of private institutes.

The "School Program Without Private Education Burden" initiative promoted by the Gwangju Office of Education is also facing criticism over its effectiveness. Although support of 80 to 90 million won annually is provided to seven high schools, some schools are using the funds primarily for after-school program fees or operating programs that encourage entrance exam competition, resulting in little impact on reducing private education costs. In response, a citizens' group stated, "The Gwangju Dong and Seobu Education Support Offices reflecting the Academy Association's opinion and increasing the tutoring fee adjustment standards by an average of 6.6% is also a factor contributing to the rise in private education expenses," and called for policy improvements.

Meanwhile, last year, the average monthly private education expenditure per student in Jeonnam was 320,000 won, with a participation rate of 71.7%.

 

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It's just an example from a parent in Jeonnam, but I can't not send my kids to the academy.

 

It seems like the financial burden will be quite heavy.