Monday, March 3rd, 2014
Seoul, Korea - Korea's parents of students from elementary to high school spend an average of 239,000 won a month for their children's out-of-school education. According to data released by the National Statistical Office on February 27, the per-student cost of private education a month was 239,000 won, up 1.3 percent from 236,000 won in 2012.
The highest amount of tuition was spent by the parents of middle school students at 267,000 won, followed by those of elementary schoolchildren at 232,000 won and those of high school students at 223,000 won. The percentage of students going to after-school academies (called "Hakwon" in Korean) or taking private lessons was 81.8 percent for elementary school students. For middle school and high school counterparts, the ratios were 69.5 percent and 49.2 percent, respectively. The overall percentage of 68.8 percent is slightly lower than that for the previous year of 69.4 percent.
By subject, per-month cost for each child was highest for English at 81,000 won, followed by math (74,000 won) and Korean (16,000 won). Private education spending is defined as expenditures made outside the regular school curriculum, including those spent on Hakwon and private tutoring.