Obama Lauds Korea's Education of Children

U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday called for the United States to look to South Korea in adopting longer school days and after-school programs for American children to help them survive in an era of keen global competition, according to the Yonhap News Agency Wednesday.

"Our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea every year," Obama told a gathering at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce here. "That is no way to prepare them for a 21st-century economy.

"Obama made the remarks while emphasizing the need for sweeping reform of the U.S. education system for which he earmarked $41 billion out of the $787 billion stimulus package to cope with the worst recession in decades.

"The U.S. president called for Americans "not only to expand effective after-school programs but to rethink the school day to incorporate more time, whether it's during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who need it." Obama's remarks came as a surprise to many South Koreans as the country's education system has been under constant public criticism due to its lack of creativity and heavy dependence on private tutoring.

Korean parents spend a lot of money on their children's education. Aside from the regular school, they also spend for afterschool programs (or cram schools, called hagwon in korean) for various subjects such as english, math, science, the arts and the languages. One student may end up going to three hagwons in a week.