Education in DPRK
- Part II -
- Part II -
In the previous article we saw the history of education in Korea from the stage at which Korea was a Japanese colony. In 1945, Korea gained its independence and its northern part begins an era of radical transformation, with the help of popular power. Kim Il Sung, a former guerrilla leader, assumed the presidency of DPR Korea, founded three years after independence.
in 1949 became the first Asian country to the entire population literate. They are based also great educational institutions: the first university and Mangyongdae Revolutionary School. All this is accompanied by a strong budgetary outlay on Education, among the highest in the world.
This article covers the period just after. Begins in 1950 when it was expected that will implement the Compulsory Primary Education. This was not possible, however, because in June the same year the Korean War broke out.
The article, in addition to War (1950 - 1953), also recounts the development of education in the period of post-war reconstruction, which are implanted the Elementary and Secondary Education.
Without more presentations, we already see how the Korean War broke out.
2.3 - Korean War (1950-1953)
The Korean War broke out in June 1950. How did it? As mentioned earlier in the article, the southern part of the country had been occupied by the United States, systematically violated the agreements reached at the peace conferences. These peace agreements, accounted for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops in 1948, according to the Soviet Union completely fulfilled.
Americans had no intention of withdrawing its troops from the peninsula. In fact, his troops were not necessary even to free the country from Japanese occupation, since the former Yankee soldiers came to Korea three weeks after the end of the war. Therefore, from the very beginning, the U.S. Army had the mission to occupy and subdue Korea.
Politically, the United States did not comply with Korean institutions that had arisen because of the release and put them outside the law. Wherever people's committees refused to comply, the repression was violent. The best known case is that of Cheju Island, where the casualties of repression in the tens of thousands.
United States resumed many of the coercive methods of the Japanese Empire. Imposed English as the language for the administration, in the same way that the Japanese had imposed their language in all spheres of public and private life. Even the administration fed southern collaborators Korean and former repressive colonial regime.
Therefore, the confrontation between the two Koreas can only be understood as a clash between old and new Korea between north whose administration is composed workers, petty traders, peasants, housewives, ... and whose army is formed from the guerrillas, and a southern part, the administration is the Korean elite who sold his country to two foreign occupiers, with an army drawn on veterans recruited by Japan and U.S. advisers.
temporary management areas (Soviet and American) divisions became permanent after 1948. That year was scheduled general elections were held throughout the country. However, it's not surprising that regard is the concept of democracy for the United States, especially when what is at stake are their strategic interests.
The popularity of Kim Il Sung in all of Korea was very large, as during the Japanese occupation had been the only one to face Japan directly, unlike the rest of the Korean opposition, who preached without success in the salons the League of Nations or resigned to a life of luxury in exile. The reputation of the guerrillas, opened a possibility that aim to elections throughout Korea to socialism. Therefore, South Korea decided to hold elections separately. Those elections were marred by widespread fraud, the pressure, the banning of candidates and the imprisonment of the opposition. Anti Act is famous, although still in force integrated into the National Security Act, which since 1948 prohibits the activity or pro-communist North in South Korea.
Washington's candidate, Sygmun Rhee, achieved without major problems by a landslide. Sygmun Rhee was a Korean based in California. He had erected a leader in the "Government of Shanghai", a kind of Korean government in exile, recognized only by some Western countries. While the guerrillas were playing life in the northern mountains, the Shanghai government had a comfortable exile in China and Western countries. Communists always saw the Shanghai government as "traitors." The reason is that this "government" came to renounce the idea of \u200b\u200bindependence of Korea, complying with an autonomous status within the Japanese Empire.
This conciliatory, conformist, Sygmun Rhee moved to a much more aggressive as he became head of government in South Korea. He led a bloody 12-year dictatorship, which was marked by internal repression and for his constant proclamations in favor of a "march north" (Invasion of North Korea).
said than done, mean little in Korea and thus the threats, it soon took action.
Between 1948 and 1950, the border between the two Koreas lived daily clashes with live ammunition. In South Korea, the situation was explosive, anti-Yankee guerrillas, whole provinces to proclaim their loyalty to the government of Pyongyang, urban uprisings, ... One of the most combative social classes were the peasants, encouraged by the agrarian reform carried out in the north.
In June 1950, border clashes end in war. There is no agreement among historians as to who fired the first shot. However, there are many suspicious circumstances against the American version. In any case, it is the subject of this article. Once placed
the context of war, we will analyze how the conflict affects education.
2.3.1 - Reorganization Education War
War broke out on 25 June 1950 and a day later, it is the Military Commission, which focuses on the whole North Korea authority. If you frequently, war and education are incompatible, the Military Commission's goal was just the opposite.
There were two key areas:
- Ensuring the safety of children.
- intensify political and ideological content, to explain the situation that the country lived.
Due to shelling, education, during 1950 and 1951 suffered constant interruptions.
But from the government, was taken as a priority for the continuation of classes. For this, the major institutions (universities, ,...) Mangyongdae Revolutionary School moved to remote and protected and schools began to build underground classrooms. In 1951, 13,000 classrooms were built, of which 2,400 were underground and 8,600 semi-subterranean. In 1952, 2,900 new classrooms were built underground, as well of 1,400 semi-subterranean.
In late 1951, full dispersion of the classroom to safety, the objective was that the course was to start school in September 1952, starting with total normality, despite the war. To this end, a meeting convened in Pyongyang National Education in June 1952. During the following months, those attending the meeting reproduced in their home provinces the meeting. In these meetings was discussed how to achieve that goal in September to start a normal school year.
Meanwhile, the Military Commission made every effort to facilitate the target material. Despite all the difficulties of wartime, production is shifted almost entirely paper to the printing of school books. In 1951, 3'238'000 copies were printed.
addition, the distribution was made through the transportation system of military, as a concept of priority.
In this way, it got pulled off in 1952-1953 during the flames of war.
2.3.2 - Education in the liberated areas
In South Korea, the educational situation was dire. Unlike their northern brethren, the Koreans were still major problems to access the most basic education.
During 1949-1950, ie just before the war broke out, two-thirds of school-age children were excluded from primary education. Even among those who did were admitted to elementary education, 73% failed to attend school. All this was the result of the negligence of the South Korean government, obsessed with military spending. It was also a consequence of the private nature of teaching, which posed a barrier to the families of working class and peasantry.
Education savage methods inherited from colonial rule and the contents did not vary much: if it was promoted before submission to the Japanese Empire, now that you replaced the
"brother American. " And just before liberation, anti-communist education was one of the keys to teaching.
In South Korea had not been made real efforts to provide literacy to the population. So in 1950, while the North was full literacy in the south were still 11 million people who could not read or write.
When war breaks out, the South Korean army had numerous American military vehicles and other imported materials. However, the morale of the soldiers was very low due to forced recruitment and the frequent situations in which they had to repress their own people.
This contrasted with the situation of the northern army. The KPA (EPC) was actively involved in construction. His soldiers and officers were the same guerrillas who had liberated the country, only 5 years earlier. Having gained the victory, many guerrillas were in international mission to China, soon to get set up the People's Republic. In addition, the EPC, to deal with the recurring threat of
"up north" (which was constantly in the speeches of Sygmun Rhee Korean dictator) had received modern weaponry from the Soviet Union. Both the army
the north and the south were on high alert when war broke out, due to constant border clashes. But the situation of each army was diametrically opposed, even though South Korea have more men under arms.
A month after war broke out, and before the arrival of American reinforcements, the EPC had released 90% of South Korean territory and 92% of its population. On arrival in Seoul and other cities, the EPC was received with great demonstrations of support.
immediately clandestine communist organizations in South Korea began to campaign for voluntary enlistment to fight United States. These campaigns were particularly successful in universities.
In July 1950, South Korea experienced its first democratic elections, in which elected representatives to 13'654 people's councils in villages, 118 sub-municipalities, 108 cities and 9 provinces. This was followed by an agrarian reform similar to that of North Korea, a law on gender equality and labor reform, which first established basic rights such as prohibition of child labor, health insurance, the 8-hour day, ...
etc. The North Korean government, which at that time was the government of all Korea, moved to the new capital, Seoul. In September 1950, approved the Education Act for Democratic People south of the country. This meant that, during the war, thousands of North Korean teachers and tables being moved to the south to carry out literacy campaigns and launching numerous primary and secondary schools. How could it be otherwise, one of the strengths of the teaching was the political-ideological.
Across the southern part of the Republic, he began to build schools of all levels.
With the vagaries of war, many areas of Korea constantly changed hands. But at any time the EPC liberated territory, immediately put ongoing education reforms.
Kaesong, Kaephung, Phanmun, Namyonbaek and Ongjin, areas before the war belonged to South Korea, came to be permanently under control of DPR Korea, from 1951. In these areas, three quarters of the educational institutions were destroyed. However, mass education campaigns were conducted.
Kaesong, which before the war was known in South Korea as one of the most advanced in education, had 55% of school children. In 1951-1952, the vast majority of children of school age Kaesong entered northern schools.
2.3.3 - The Return of students to education
mid 1951, the war became a new phase, in which the front was stabilized and, despite numerous military campaigns of the two contenders, the positions just moved to end of the war. This was an amazing accomplishment, since a small republic founded just 2 years before the start of hostilities, he managed to rein in an imperialist coalition of 16 countries led by the main power of the time: the United States.
A DPRK only military troops supported the People's Republic of China, thus restoring the international aid that had Korean guerrillas China provided to the Revolution.
With the front stabilized, the Military Commission in August 1951 took the decision "Appeal to the graduates and college students." In this way, students who were in the front were demobilized and resumed their studies in safe places.
This measure also created a special preparatory course for university entrance.
Thus, students from South Korea could enter university with the same knowledge that a student from the north.
In April 1952, coinciding with the 40th birthday of Kim Il Sung, was created a special scholarship, which covered 50% the cost of textbooks and transportation, in addition to providing free footwear, bedding, food and clothing to students whose families had died or were in territory occupied by the United States.
With these measures, intended to begin to train future tables rebuild the country after the war. Thus, during the war operated 15 universities and 54 technical colleges.
Kim Il Sung himself visited many times to students. In one of these visits, he said:
"You must study with great care in the world. Study, we also oppose the plans that the Yankees have in Korea. There are many comrades who have been unable to return to the front.
you who you should study instead. From now on, studying is the best fight we can do in battle formation. Studying is not just another way to fight! "
you who you should study instead. From now on, studying is the best fight we can do in battle formation. Studying is not just another way to fight! "
2.4 - The post-Korean War (1953 - 1959)
The Korean War ended in 1953 with the signing of an armistice. The agreement was signed in a small border village, near the city of Kaesong. North Korea sent its representatives, while from the south no one appeared. Nor was there any United Nations representative. North Korea negotiated directly with Yankees general, that had ravaged cities, crops, hydro dams and schools.
Actually it was logical for North Korea to sit with the United States. The Korean War was not the civil conflict between two different regimes which gave the Korean people. In contrast, the Korean War was a conflict in the United States, which had submitted a Korean side, tried to drown out the other side of the country, maintaining its independence and was heading toward socialism. It was an imperialist war of conquest to the United States and national liberation for Korea. However, it is paradoxical to hear today, when the Western press the government undermines the legitimacy Pyongyang and Seoul is updated as the only possible subject of reunification.
When the war ends, the Yankee general Clark admitted to being the first U.S. military to sign an armistice without having first obtained a victory. The armistice was a temporary situation of "no war" prior to the final signing of a peace treaty. In the armistice included a key condition for signing the treaty of peace: the withdrawal of foreign troops from Korea.
This was not a problem for North Korea, but for South Korea, where he deployed one of the largest contingents of U.S. troops abroad. This is the why the status of "no war" is still in effect today: we have never signed a peace treaty. United States has refused to do so sharply, thus perpetuating the status of "hostile state" that wins the socialist regime in Pyongyang.
aside international relations, on the inner side, North Korea suffered a frightening situation. Most people lived in shelters dug into the ground, the cities were heaps of ruins, the crops have been badly damaged and more than two million people died. Amongst the rubble, was 72% of schools and 80% of the classrooms.
Despite being a country in ruins, DPR Korea kept more than half the territory of Korea and remained
governed under institutions of popular power and the direction of the Korean Workers Party. With these three bases, began a massive reconstruction campaign, intended to reach production levels before the war, in just three years (1956).
The period analyzed, however, exceeds the limits of the reconstruction plan (1953 -
1956). Extend the study until 1959, which gets completely free education.
2.4.1 - First goal: to recover levels of pre-war
A month after the end of the war, the WPK Central Committee held its Sixth Plenary Session. In it, the game marked the objective of recovering the 1950 level in all spheres of national economy.
For education, the goal was the same: to recover pre-war levels.
In a country completely ruined, the cities turned into rubble and ashes and the population living in underground holes, the task of rebuilding seemed impossible.
was even harder to try to rebuild the country in just three years. But the Koreans, with the solidarity of the countries Socialists, got down to work.
The Soviet Union and Eastern European countries sent credits and grants, while the Chinese volunteers served as labor in the reconstruction of Korea until 1958, when the last detachment left the country abroad. Korea was then the example of proletarian internationalism of the socialist camp. But this should not obscure the fact that the burden of reconstruction went to the sweat of the Koreans, who achieved incredible growth figures.
In June 1954, the rehabilitation plan of education took shape in the Triennial Act
Plan for Development Economics National adopted at the Seventh Session of the Supreme People
Assembly (Parliament).
objectives went far beyond a simple rehabilitation.
- First, they intended to introduce universal primary education compulsory in three years. This involved 100% of school pupils in a country torn apart and no complete censuses.
- Second, increased to 469'000 the number of students in secondary education, higher technical education 52'300 and 22'500 in higher education.
On the other hand, as a second task as a priority throughout the country were built mainly primary and secondary schools, before any other buildings.
While the party's offices were in underground caves, huge school buildings appeared in villages, towns and cities.
In a context of shortage of bricks and cement, North Korea 25 times more money invested in education in 1949. Not only was money also moved conscious enthusiasm of the population through school construction committees, who did volunteer work.
This allowed rebuild the educational infrastructure in a very short period of time.
Between 1954 and 1956 were built 5,455 schools of various types.
Investment in education and culture in 1956 reached 12.7% of the national budget, the number of university students rose to 22,000 (by 11,000 just three years earlier) and that of college graduates rose to 73,000 in 1957 (from 31,063 four years earlier).
In 1956, there were 4,247 primary schools and 1,247 secondary schools by 3861 and 968 had respectively before the war. With this, the January 1, 1956, all education figures were above levels before the war, ie, it met the goals of the three-year plan just a year in advance.
2.4.2 - Mandatory Universal Primary Education
The ninth session of the Supreme People's Assembly in March 1955 approved the introduction of compulsory primary education in August 1956.
The usual line of North Korean socialism, convened a national conference of education workers in July 1955 attended by 800 teachers across the country.
This conference responded to the need to explain the meaning of compulsory primary education, the need to identify and register all school-age children, rationally set the attendance of students by school and planning the production of textbooks.
Thus, in 1956 published copies of 535 13'660'000 textbook. This, coupled with the previously explained infaestructura reconstruction and the training of educational personnel allowed in August 1956 all children from countries attended the inauguration of the school year.
20 years ago, the guerrillas had made one of its objectives schooling for all children in the country. In the context of Japanese colonial rule, like a utopia. Now, just three years after the end of the war against the United States, North Korea became the first Asian country to 100% of school children.
2.4.3 - Universal Compulsory Education in secondary
few months before the introduction of compulsory primary education, the Workers' Party of Korea held its Third Congress. Without stopping for even a second to celebrate the success, the Korean communists were scored the next goal: to introduce compulsory education also for high school. The period was the five-year plan covering the next five years.
was 1956 and in Pyongyang, 100% of children who completed primary education, were admitted to the school. In the rest of the country, this figure reached 81'9%.
The whole country got to work. The two main tasks were to build the infrastructure for schools and train teachers. This led to further increase spending on education and culture. If in 1956, the percentage of budget allocated to cultural and educational purposes was 12.7% in 1958 had increased to 18'7%.
The priority was to build a whole school network in the field. The numbers are spectacular. In 1956, there were 1,247 schools across the country. In the next two years were built more than double that number: 2,952.
Regarding teacher training, in 1957, 2'150 secondary school teachers were entitled. A year later, another 7'400 teachers completed their training. A North Korean infant industry was assigned the role of secondary schools to provide laboratories, school supplies and equipment for practice.
However, in September 1957, 92'2% of school-age students were enrolled. A year later, and three years in advance on the objective, North Korea introduced compulsory secondary education throughout the country. 5 years after the end of the war, North Korea had achieved the feat of 100% of school pupils in primary and secondary education.
2.4.4 - The ideal of free education
documents in the Korean Workers Party, we find an interesting reflection on Education.
"Compulsory education is only authentic when it is free.
is typical of the operating companies that families join them in poverty and a strong educational expenses. This causes the working class right to education is completely degraded see
[...] [...] To proclaim the right to education law is not sufficient for the exercise.
The right to education is ensured only when it is physically secured by the State or public administration. "
is typical of the operating companies that families join them in poverty and a strong educational expenses. This causes the working class right to education is completely degraded see
[...] [...] To proclaim the right to education law is not sufficient for the exercise.
The right to education is ensured only when it is physically secured by the State or public administration. "
Once achieved the compulsory education in primary and secondary education, the next step was in line with the above extract. Between 1958 and 1959 on the basis of huge economic growth, the state was taking a number of measures to ensure completely free education.
If until 1959, the North Koreans did not pay for tuition, from that year had covered all educational needs. The State abolished all fees that still existed in some levels of education. All students have from then until now covered 100% of expenditures on school supplies and uniforms. Students receive twice a year a full uniform, right at the time of the season.
also free access to all extracurricular activities, whether social or political, as well as excursions, visits, study tours and holiday camps. In North Korea are typical revolutionary visits to places and establishments.
Top students receive a bonus economic incentives as a reward for the effort. Also, those who choose to access adult education continue to receive 100% of his base salary and 70% of the average wage achieved through production bonuses. Thus, an adult study is not a burden to his family.
access to libraries, School Children's Palace or Palace of the People Survey is completely free, and all extracurricular sports activities. All this integrates the public and free education in North Korea since 1959.
All this is further developed in subsequent decades. The next article discusses the history Education North Korea today.
Juan Nogueira López
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