Formal Korean education is a six, three, three, then four year process. Usually, students begin six years of elementary school when they are eight years of age, three years of middle school when they are 14 years old, three years of high school when they are 17 years old, and four years at the university beginning when they are 20 years old.
Elementary and middle school are compulsory. Many students attend kindergarten (not compulsory) or day care facility prior to entering elementary school. The Korean academic year begins in March.
[edit] Day Care Centers 어린이집
Care and educational facility for ages between infant and child. Most have full day programs. There are both government and private day care centers. The cost varies according to age and facility, but government supported facilities are usually between 120,000won and 230,000won a month and privately run centers range between 170,000won and 340,000won.
[edit] Kindergarten 유치원
Education-centered facility for ages 5 through 7. Most operate until 2 p.m. There are both public and private kindergartens, with public kindergartens costing around 30,000won and private ones costing somewhere near 150,000won a month. Most kindergartens provide school meals and operate a school bus.
[edit] Elementary School 초등학교
Foreigners may attend Korean schools if so desired and may transfer into a new school while a semester is still in session. To do so you must submit to the local school an record of entry and exit (출입국에관한사실증명서) or Alien Registration Card (외국인등록사실증명서) issued to you by the Immigration Office. There are
no entrance fees, tuition, or textbook fees, though teaching materials, school lunches, picnic and educational trip-related costs are must be paid for by the parent.
[edit] Middle School 중학교
All grade levels in middle school are compulsory education. In Korea, students that are graduating from elementary school have where they will attend middle school determined by a middle school entrance recommendation management committee (중학교입학추천관리위원회). Anyone desiring to enter their child in a
Korean middle school after having attended elementary school outside the country must have transcripts from all grades signed or sealed by the head of that elementary school, proof of attendance, documentation from your foreign government that qualifies as a family register (hojeok deungbon 호적등본), proof of domestic residence (국내거소사실증명서), and your ARC and a copy of the same. All these items should be submitted to the regional educational authorities in order to have the child assigned to a middle school. Once assigned a school, you must then go to the school and register your child there.
[edit] High School 고등학교
Students who have had nine years of education in schools located overseas or at a foreign school in Korea may enter high school. Take the same documentation discussed above and go to the secondary education section (중등교육과) at your city or provincial office of education (교육청) to receive a school assignment. Tuition is around 300,000won for each three month period whether at public and private schools, or around 12 million won a year.
Korean high schools can be particularly rigorous, and are sometimes called "university entrance hell" because students must prepare from early in the morning to late at night to receive supplementary or individual lessons following each day's regular classes, this if they want to enter prestigious universities.
[edit] See Also
