The Korean Experience with Technical and Vocational Education

1
The Korean Experience with Technical and
Vocational Education
Chong Jae Lee Seoul National University

• A Presentation to be made to the Fourth ECA
  Education Conference The Missing Link
  Rethinking the Role of
• Technical Vocational Education in Upper Secondary
  Education Jointly sponsored by the World Bank and
  the Ministry
• of Education and Science of the Republic of
  Albania October 24-26, 2007, Tirana, Albania.

2
Contents
3
?. Introduction

• Purposes
• Identify Korean approaches to Expanding Access to
  Education and educations contribution to the
  successful economic growth in Korea
• Overview Korean experiences with Technical and
  Vocational Education (TVE) Relevance of TVE and
  Emerging Challenges to TVE
• Highlight key lessons learned from Korean
  Experiences to the three policy questions

4
?. Development Stages of Korean Education

• Four stages
• Economical Development Phases
• - 19451960 Economic disruption and recovery
• - 19611979 Export-oriented, high growth
  strategy under
• the Parks regime
• - 19801997 Structural adjustment and
  stabilized growth
• - 1998Present Transition into
  knowledge-based society
• Stages of Educational Development
• - 19481960 Educational reconstruction
• - 19611980 Educational Expansion and Economic
  Growth
• - 19811997 Exploration for the Qualitative
  Improvement
• of Education
• - 1998Present Restructuring Period

5
?. Development Stages of Korean Education

• Modern Korean education begins in 1945
• The situation since 1945
• Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule
  with the end of the World War ?
• Divided into two countries South and North Korea
• US Armys Military Government in South
  Korea(1945-1948)
• Republic of Korea was founded in 1948
• Ideological struggle and political instability
• Korean War(1950-1953) 80 school buildings
  destroyed
• Shortage of everything except students (P.H.
  Cooms)

6
?. Development Stages of Korean Education

• Major Economic Indicators

Population of 1945 is 1944s. data.
7
?. Development Stages of Korean Education

• Social, Economic index of The Economic Growth
  Period

Industrial Origin of GDP()
Per Capita GNP()
City Population Rate to Total()

Services
Mining Manufacturing
Agriculture
38.9
12.3
48.8
82
28.0(1960)
1961
35.3
14.3
50.4
254
41.1
1970
43.4
22.5
34.0
1,645
57.2
1980
54.5
27.6
17.9
6,147
84.0
1990
Source National Statistical Office
(http//www.nso.go.kr)
8
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Net Changes in No. Students
• (Unit 1,000 Persons)

9
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches
Elementary Education Completed
Expansion Period of Secondary Education
Expansion Period of Tertiary Education
10
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches
Educational Expansion Period
Restructuring
Quality Improvement
11
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Development Approach to Korean Education
• Major
  Policies Open door policy
• Six-year Compulsory Education plan (1954-1959)
• Open Door Policy to Secondary Education
• Abolition of Entrance Exam to Middle School
  (1968)
• High School Equalization Policy (1974)
• - Abolish entrance exam and replace it with
  random
• assignment
• Open Door Policy to Higher Education
• July 30 Educational Reform (1980)

12
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Low Cost Approach (LCA)
• Lowering educational standards (Large class,
  Double shift classroom, Low level of teachers
  salary) to accommodate more students at given
  resources Constraints
• Application of LCA
• - Expanding Primary compulsory education
• (1954-1959)
• - Expanding Lower Secondary Education(1968)
• - Expanding Access to Tertiary Education (1980)

13
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Six-year compulsory education plan(1954-1959)
• Outcome
• Universalization of primary education
• Emerging Problem
• Successive strong demand for middle school
• Resulted in the exam hell in elementary school
  to prepare entrance examination to selective
  middle schools

14
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Egalitarian approach
• - Abolition of Entrance Exam to Lower and
  Upper Secondary
• Education and admission by assignment
  system in 1968
• and 1974
• - Providing Equal chance of being admitted
  to Middle school
• and High school
• - Lowering educational standards class size
  from 60 to 70
• - Providing Equal school conditions
• - Gradual extension of free compulsory
  education to middle
• school from rural areas in 1984 to all
  area in 2004
• - Priority given to Region, Low SES,
  Students at Risk

15
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Quantitative expansion of Secondary Education
• School Enrollment Rate

Source KEDI, Statistical Yearbook of Education
2004
16
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Qualitative Improvement of Education by School
  Level

Source The Statistical Yearbook of Korean
Education.
17
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Years of achieving Universal Enrollment
• (Enrollment Rate 90, Entering Rate to Upper
  Education 90)

  Tertiary(a), High gt Tertiary(a)
Enrollment/Entering upper class ratio 60.      
  Tertiary(b), High gt Tertiary(b)
Enrollment/Entering upper class ratio 50.     
18
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Key factors contributing to Expansion of Access
  to
• Education
• - Universal enrollment of Elementary Education
• - Low cost approach
• - Egalitarian approach
• - Roles of private schools in expanding access
• - Sequential expansion with Bottom-Up approach
• - Govt budget support for Elementary-Secondary
  
• Education by Law (12.98 of Domestic tax)
• - Parents strong support to Education
• - High level of Economic growth

19
?. The Expansion of Educational Opportunities and
Approaches

• Quantitative expansion of Secondary Education
• Distribution of Educational Attainment of
  Population over 25 years old()

20
?. How education contributes to economic growth?

• Cooperative Correspondence relation between
  economy and education
• - Developing Infra-Structure of Human
  Resource
• - High economic growth to support
  educational
• expansion
• Korean education developed infrastructure of
  human capacity and significantly contributed to
  economic take-off in 1960's
• Human Resource Development in advanced to the
  manpower requirement

21
?. How education contributes to economic growth?

• Educational Expansion
• Development of HRD conditions precedent to
  economic growth
• Harbison Myers's observation of Korean case of
  Human Resources development for a country with
  per capita GNP 380, when its per capita GNP was
  107.

Low Cost Approach
22
?. How education contributes to economic growth?

• Sequential Bottom-up approach
• Sequential expansion of access to education from
  Elementary, Secondary and Higher Education
  precedent to the manpower needs for Economic
  development
• Elementary Ed. ? Labor Intensive
  light
• Secondary Ed. Manufacturing
• (1960s)
• Vocational-Technical ? Capital Intensive
• High schools Heavy-Chemical
  Industry
• (1970s ? 1980s)
• Expansion ? Electronics, High-tech
• of Higher Education Knowledge Industry
• (1980s ? Present)

23
?. How education contributes to economic growth?

• Expand and upgrade Technical and Vocational
• Education
• Expand and upgrade Technical and Vocational
• Education and Training Infrastructure to
  develop
• technical manpower
• 1960s Vocational High school
• Jr Technical Colleges
• Technical Universities
• 1970s Science Education
• Use of External Loans (IDA, IBRD etc)

24
?. How education contributes to economic growth?

• Economys support to educational development
• The Law of Grants for Elementary-Secondary
  Education are enacted. This is the return from
  Economic Growth to Education Sector
• 12.98 of Domestic Tax
• Salaries for elementary school teachers legally
  secured

25
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• TVET System
• Vocational-Technical High Schools
• Jr Technical Colleges (2-3 years)
• Universities
• Open Technical Colleges for Employed
• Public Job-training centers under Ministry of
  Labor
• Private Technical training industries (Nurse-aid,
  etc)

26
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Evolution of TVE in 19601980 Education for
  Economic Growth Period
• - Policy priority given to TVET during
  implementation
• of Economic development plans since 1962
• - Expansion of Vocational High Schools
  19621980
• Enrollment increase
• Curriculum development (1963)
• Increase Investment and use loan programs
• (ICA, IDA, ADB, World Bank)

27
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Enrollment of Technical-Vocational High schools
• - 1970- 1980s 45 in High school
  enrollment
• - decreased from 45(1980) to 27.7 (2006)

ltNumber of Students by School Trackgt
28
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• School conditions of Vocational High schools
  compared to General High schools
• - less students per teacher
• - less students per class

29
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Employment rate of vocational high school
  graduates decreased from 76.6 (1990) to
  25.9(2006)
• 69 of the graduates entered to tertiary
  education(2006)
• Identity of vocational high schools questioned

ltVocational High School Employment and Entering
rate to HEgt

• 1. Number of employees/graduates 2. Number of
  entering to tertiary ed/graduates

30
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• The enrollment of Junior Colleges and College of
  technology increased since 1990s
• - more students entered to Jr colleges

lt Number of Schools and Students in Vocational
High School, Junior Colleges U. Of
Technologygt
31
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Identity of Technical-Vocational High Schools
  questioned 1990s
• - Demand shift from TV high school to Jr
  Technical college
• - Weak Incentive system of semi-skilled job
  (Pay, promotions, working conditions)
• - Less opportunities for occupational growth,
  Life-long learning and HRD
• - Directions for development of VH, not clear
• - Students preference higher education to
  vocational high school

32
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Policy mistakes for Technical-Vocational
• High Schools in 1990s
• - Structural adjustment policy of TV high
  schools to increase the number of students in
  vocational high school from 32(1990) to 50
  failed
• - Introduce 21 system to provide one-year
  practice on the Job for Technical High School
  students. No merit point.
• The outcomes depend upon the quality of on the
  Job practice
• - New Developments
• Specialized vocational schools emerged
  (animation, cartoons, design, computer
  networking, etc)
• Establish KRIVET Korean Research Institute
  for Vocational Education and Training

33
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Shift of emphasis to Science-Technical
• Education 1980s2000
• Priority shifted from TVET toward
  Science-Technical Education as Korean Economy
  focus New Technology Industry
• Support Science education in Elementary
  Secondary
• Human Resource Development in Science-Tech with
  BK project (HRD support program at Graduate
  level)
• Research Support

34
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Financing Technical and Vocational High School
• - Education budget in Government budget
• - 1822
• - 2000s 20.2

35
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Government allocated less than 2 of Government
  budget for Technical and Vocational education in
  1990s.
• The share of vocational High schools in TVE
  budget decreased from 40(1996) to 18.4 (2000)

(Unit 1 million won, )
36
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Student pay 32.4 of the cost in Vocational high
  school
• - In Public schools 21.4
• - Private schools 46.9
• Student pay more of the cost in General High
  schools

37
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Share of Governments support in the expenditures
  of Vocational High schools in 2000.

38
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• Evaluation Remarks on TV High school in Korea
• Technical-Vocational High Schools
• Remarkable contribution in 1960s-1970s
• As Korean economy utilizes new technologies, TV
  high schools face identity crisis
• Jr. Technical Colleges and Science-Engineering
  programs of Universities play more important
  roles of HRD in 1980s-2000

39
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• New challenges and Perspectives emerged for
• HRD at Individual and Institutional level
• Individual level
• developing core competence and job-related
  capabilities
• HRD through Life-long learning
• Upgrade qualification Certification
• Career-path development
• Institutional Level
• Developing Relevance, Quality, Competitiveness of
  the program
• Market control model autonomy and market
  evaluation
• Use Public Support in the Voucher Form

40
V. Evolution of Technical-Vocational Education
Training

• New Policy tasks emerged
• Upgrade and transform vocational high schools
  into Diversified-specialized Elite Vocational
  Schools
• Strengthening functional relationship among
  general high schools, vocational high schools and
  Jr. Technical Colleges
• Develop Private technical institutes and OJT
  Centers in corporations as specialized technical
  institute

41
VI .The relevance of TVE at Upper secondary
education

• Relevance of TVE The most important dimension of
  TVE
• Three factors related to the Relevance of TVE
• 1) Market Demand demands of graduates
  from the market ( ? )
• 2) Supply side capacities to develop
• technical core competency( -- )
• social capital ( ? )
• self-directed learning capacities( ?? )
• 3) Relative Position of TVE lowered
• As more high school graduate enter Tertiary
  education,
• As Economy developed,
• Job training for lower sec graduates ( - )
• TVE at Upper Sec Edu ( - )

42
VI .The relevance of TVE at Upper secondary
education

• Emerging Challenges to TVE at Upper Sec Education
• (1) Demand change As economy grow and develop,
  the demands of TVE and job competency are
  changing.
• - demand of simple, low level, technical
  competency
• decreased
• - and demand of higher level, multi-tasking
  job
• competency increased.
• (2) Quality Upgrade Unless TVE at Upper
• Secondary Education upgrade its quality
  level, TVE at
• USE lose its relevance of TVE.

43
VI .The relevance of TVE at Upper secondary
education

• Upgrading the Quality of TVE at USE
• (1) Horizontal Upgrading Dual mode approach
• - Establish a few but Specialized
  Intensive Elite Technical and
• Vocational Schools. They should be
  Leading and Model TV High
• Schools
• - Establish a Generalized Technical
  and Vocational Schools with
• Vocational Orientation and guidance.
• - General education
• - Objective Minimize total
  training costs
• - Basic exercise and training at
  School
• - Intensive training at the
  Workplace with Governments financial
• support.
• - 2 1 system (two years school
  education and one years practice
• in the workplace
• - General TV Schools provide the
  flexibility maintaing the
• balance between General and TV
  Schools.

44
VI .The relevance of TVE at Upper secondary
education

• (2) Vertical Upgrading Relocating the Core
  TVE
• function from Upper Sec Ed to Junior
  Technical Colleges
• (Polytechnic Institute)
• (3) Making the relationship closer
  between TVE and Work places (Industry) to upgrade
  the relevance.
• - demand orientation in Governance,
  Program, teacher
• recruitment, and evaluation.
• - Governments support to the development
  of
• cooperative relation between school and
  Industry
• - implementation of the customized
  programs

45
VI .The relevance of TVE at Upper secondary
education

• Development of institutional infrastructure to
  support TVE.
• - Developing the system of Qualification and
  License
• - Job-Information system (Work-net)
• - Expanding the opportunity to acquire
  qualifications and Licenses.
• Development of Life-long Learning system for Job
  Competency.
• - National agenda for HRD