Private Tutoring and Demand for Education in South Korea

Sunwoong Kim examines the importance of private tutoring in South Korea in relation to the entire education system. The amount spent on private tutoring has been rising faster than the growth of income, despite the fact that the government has continuously increased the amount of fiscal resources per student. It has tried various public policy measures to curb the practice of private tutoring, including outright banning private tutoring in the 1980s. Korea has changed dramatically during the past five decades in terms of educational expansion and the level of economic development, moving from being a very poor country to being an advanced country. The real or perceived advantage of elite universities in a very hierarchical higher education system has been strong enough to create continuing demand for private tutoring. This kind of private tutoring demand would be particularly acute for academically strong students capable of being admitted to the prestigious universities.