In previous articles we have studied the history of education in Korea until 1959, when he meets the goal of free public education at all levels. This achievement is certainly impressive for a small Asian country that just 14 years earlier was the second independent country in the world behind. The public education system free and is the basis on which the level starts rising cultural, technical and educational development of North Korean society.
Since 1960 and until today, Education in Korea must be understood in a linear fashion. It's kind of steps that the North Koreans have been rising, rung by rung. This article discusses each of these steps.
The ultimate goal is to qualify in the cultural, technical, physical and moral society as a whole, creating universally developed individuals. For the Workers' Party of Korea, the essential aspect of the construction of communism is the human being (other Marxist interpretations were the productive forces and relations of production essential). And therefore, only a partnership can create universally developed communism.
2.5 - building socialism Korea (1960 - 1970)
"Today, the most important issue we must resolve to build socialism in our country, is to train technical staff. Since the end of the war, many factories have been built, we have developed a powerful machinery industry and agriculture has cooperativized through a socialist paradigm.
In the northern part of the Republic, we may soon finish building the technical foundations of socialism and then we will introduce modern technology to agriculture, fishing and all branches of industry.
Only then can we build a model of society economically superior to capitalist society. To do this, the biggest problem is the shortage of technical personnel. Unless we manage to resolve this issue, it will be impossible to give a simple step forward. "(Kim Il Sung, 1956).
In 1960, five-year plan ending 1956 to 1960. The plan is a success: it manages to complete the first phase of socialist industrialization, based on our own resources. The level of economic growth has only one equivalent Asia: Japan.
Between 1961 and 1967, launching a seven-year plan, which aims to complete the second phase of socialist industrialization. Through this plan, Korea becomes a State with the technical foundations of socialism: a field collectivized and socialized industry that supplies all the requirements demanded by the country's economic development.
Politically, the North Koreans during this period two different stages of the Revolution, the democratic phase and the socialist phase. 1967 is the turning point. Education is no exception to these two phases.
Initially, the goal was to make a democratic education. The fundamental aspect of Democratic education was, from a Marxist perspective, the material aspect: free and compulsory for 100% of young Koreans. From an ideological point of view, education reactionaries destroyed the old values \u200b\u200bimposed by the colonial system. And, from a technical point of view and content, the Democratic Education had given the younger generation Korean sufficient knowledge to be "popular subjects", ie to participate in the construction of the new Korea.
However, education was to undergo a radical socialist transformation. This was a necessity imposed by the socialist industrialization.
"To address the goal of completing a technical revolution that will turn our country into a developed industrial state, as is planned in the Seven-Year Plan, we must expand the number of technical staff dramatically." (Kim Il Sung, 1960 )
is, to complete industrialization, DPR Korea needs engineers, technicians, experts and all kinds of people trained.
But socialism, from the Korean perspective, is not only a further development of productive forces. Therefore, the reform of education is not only a technical issue. Education has The main objective since 1960, forming community. A person who only have technical knowledge, it is useful for the development of the economy, albeit limited. And this is because economic, political and personal life are very entralazadas in Korea.
In fact, Korea's economic development has much to do with projects developed through massive demonstrations, ie through the voluntary commitment of the population. Therefore, Korean socialism, to develop fully (politically, culturally and technically) need a company with a great ideological commitment.
In short, education Socialist introduce several new aspects to the Korean general education:
- technical education.
- ideological education, moral and professional.
- physical education.
- aesthetic education.
2.5.1 - Full of the WPK Central Committee in August 1960
In 1960, the full Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea took five steps in relation to Education:
- Developing a plan for training technical staff, through specialized short courses to meet the demand for paintings in the mechanical, electrical, chemical, light and transport, as well as fishing, agriculture, geological prospecting and ranching.
- training centers established in factories, including higher education centers and night schools and correspondence courses.
- Strengthening scientific and technical education throughout the educational system.
- Creating a system of regular study in all workplaces in the country, so that 100% of workers carry out activities aimed at increase their technical and cultural level. Increase
- ideological training opportunities, making it accessible party schools and other means of revolutionary education.
These measures, however, have a precedent in the action begin to apply to Five-Year Plan (1956 - 1960). It's time innovations and large Chollima Movement campaigns and calls for the formation constant.
schools were opened in 1957 specialized in factories, whose course lasted a year and ermitían workers to increase their technical and cultural level without detracting from the production.
In March of that year, the technical training centers extend to agriculture.
The Democratic Youth League played a major role in organizing the elevation of cultural and technical level of young workers. Between 1958 and 1960, 158'000 young urban workers and rural 26'500 pass a state test designed to put minimum technical level.
During these years prior to 1960 is also reforming higher education. University degree, which lasts 5 years in Korea, happens to be dumped on the practice. The reform launched by the government formulates a general model of 2 years of theoretical education and practical education three.
Apart from these precedents, we will examine what effect the measures approved in 1960 on adult education and general education system.
2.5.2 - The new adult education
At the beginning of the revolution, the Korean working class had a cultural level very low. This was the result of Japanese colonial rule. Although we developed a general education system increasingly rapid pace and by 1960 many workers still had a low cultural level.
Korean socialism was the need to raise the technical and cultural level through what they called the "cultural revolution." This movement has nothing to do with that developed during this decade in China.
Since then, education in Korea is not only a period of years of primary, secondary and university, but develops steadily in all stages of life a person. Is a right of all workers and, at the same time, a duty.
According to the documents of the Korean Workers Party, "socialism and communism can not be built by the will of a group of people only. Its construction is only successful when a majority sector of the working class is building the new society, knowingly, through his vast knowledge of society and nature. "
Of all the Korean working class, who had a lower educational level were the South Koreans after the Korean War had taken refuge in the north. Due to these low levels of education, short courses were designed with specific knowledge basic, involving about 368'000 people.
For a little more advanced levels, increased the number of primary and secondary schools for working people, who attended in 1962 and 896,000 workers. They made sure all material conditions to make this possible, from night to day care committees at each enterprise to guide the success of these initiatives.
particular, the measures taken in August 1960 had a strong impact in rural areas. Kim Il Sung during his visit to Changsong County, expressed the following idea, which shows how developed the Cultural Revolution in the field:
"I'll give an example of a particular Ri Changsong County. This Ri has 120 houses and 22 people with graduate level education in high school. These 22 people are 11 teachers, the chairman of the People's Ri, some of those elected to the organs of popular power of Ri and some road service workers, trade and conservation.
If the local party organization in this Ri successfully mobilized the people, we can launch an education campaign for adults, while we will use the Publication Center of Ri
Democratic
If 120 houses are distributed 22 people with education, each one will be by 5 or 6 houses. If so individualized, intensive work is planned over the next three years, the cultural level of all the people of Ri will increase and this will have a strong impact on their ideological consciousness. " (Kim Il Sung)
If the local party organization in this Ri successfully mobilized the people, we can launch an education campaign for adults, while we will use the Publication Center of Ri
Democratic
If 120 houses are distributed 22 people with education, each one will be by 5 or 6 houses. If so individualized, intensive work is planned over the next three years, the cultural level of all the people of Ri will increase and this will have a strong impact on their ideological consciousness. " (Kim Il Sung)
This model was extended to all towns and villages in North Korea, so that those with education were responsible individually for those with lower levels. As indicated by Kim Il Sung, that not only served to increase the cultural level of society in general, but also to establish bonds of unity around the party.
2.5.3 - The reform of general education
During the Seven-Year Plan period, the most outstanding innovation in education is, without doubt, the Technical Education System 9. However, all this is preceded by a series of measures that were advancing education from its early socialist democracy to education.
In 1959, the Sixth Session of the Supreme People's Assembly approved the Law on Reorganization of the public school system.
It was created the Technical Secondary School, in parallel to the normal Secondary Education
. The new technical schools were gradually appearing, combining production and teaching, theory and practice.
Thus, for a time lived two models of education: the old model of general education and the new and emerging model focused on technical education, which according to Kim Il Sung
, responded "to the needs of real life ".
This new technical system was gaining ground in mainstream education, as it was implemented in more schools. The fundamental idea is to teach students through practice, not theoretically explain the principles of mechanics, for example, but have the actual machine that uses industry to prove themselves and learn the basics of mechanics. This, in the 60's, is a very modern approach.
The new system requires very large investments, larger classrooms, modern equipment, teacher training, ...
The plan is so ambitious that even in 1960 is necessary to interrupt secondary enrollment, due to the need to explain to teachers what is expected of them. There are numerous meetings and seminars and training courses. Moreover, since then, all teachers must graduate from higher education, abolishing technical institutes.
The new technical education also includes physical and aesthetic education, new aspects in a country that just 15 years earlier was largely illiterate.
also creates special education, music schools consisting of 11 primary and secondary), art schools (primary and secondary), sports schools (secondary) and foreign language school in 11 years (primary and secondary).
It also reinforces the ideological formation, through practical engagement and theoretical study.
is from 1960 when the Education intends to be communists.
These are the first steps in the line of building Socialist Education. This objective will be completed with the introduction of technical education of 9 years in the Seven-Year Plan.
2.5.4 - The Technical Education System 9 years
Technical Education System 9 years arises fused in a single system, technical secondary education and general secondary education. It is not just an overlay, but a combination of general and vocational education. It is important that each student leaves the Technical Education dominating more than one specialty. It is not close doors, but to create versatile people.
Technical Education of 9 years is a goal that is agreed at the Fourth Congress of the WPK. The idea is to create thousands of secondary technical schools, each specializing in one or more productive sectors. The application of this principle has its pros and cons. The advantages are obvious, but against this target is that some Technical Schools in virtually become "bastions" of either gender.
This is a phenomenon that is fixed over time, but it is clear that in the 60's, some professions were exclusively women (food processing, textile ,...) and other exclusively male (especially those Related physical force). Neither the Technical Education, during our visit in 2008 should blind us to the fact that Korean women had undergone a process of emancipation giant in 15 years and in most professions, women were more represented than men (due to a serious imbalance population after the war).
Returning to the technical school, these schools were created gradually. In particular, there was the slogan of creating one in each county, farm, industrial district and village and in city neighborhoods, for testing on the content and methods. In total, 1100 secondary technical schools created in period test.
The North Korean government, however, put much emphasis on the need for this embryonic system of education was a real leap.
"Because we call" art "to a school, not born a technical education. It is important to create useful infrastructure for practical training and equipping schools of all types of instruments and machines, to impart a real technical education "
(Kim Il Sung)
(Kim Il Sung)
Thus, the state investment increased educational infrastructure and related ministries production began to include in their budgets a section devoted to providing education of all kinds of things. This remains to this day as well.
In 1966, 93% of high school students were admitted to secondary technical schools. So in November 1966, the Supreme People's Assembly issued a decree "On the Introduction of Universal Compulsory Education Technical nine years, which made the school year that began April 1, 1967 was the first year 100% of pupils aged between seven and sixteen, he entered the new education system. In addition, all free.
This placed Korea Socialist among the most advanced countries in education, only 10 years after they conclude the post-war reconstruction.
2.5.5 - The end of the decade
The Seven-Year Plan successfully managed to establish the foundations of socialism in Korea.
However, by 1967 there were some imbalances between the different productive sectors, motivated by the huge economic growth and excessive military spending (caused by the introduction of U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea). Thus, 1968 and 1969 were years in which imbalances were corrected and continued to grow.
In Education these years had two key objectives on which I will not expand: expand to 100% of the families of the network coverage of preschool education in each province and created all majors universities with strategic (Agriculture, Heavy Industry, Light Industry ,...). Medicine
Thus, the number of universities grew from 78 in 1961 to 129 in 1967. The universities of each pronvicia also specialize in the reality of their own province. Thus, each province is the pictures you need, correcting the central tendency of Pyongyang formed the majority of the tables in the country.
education is also reinforced superior technique. If in 1949 there were 55 colleges, in 1967 the figure had risen to 464. Only 4 years later, it had 500.
In 1970, the number of graduates from higher education institutions reached the figure of 497,000.
This makes North Korea there was no trace of that impoverished and illiterate country 25 years ago had no college and only had 9 college graduates.
2.6 - The Theses on Socialist Education (1970 - 1979)
Years 50 and 60 had been of enormous economic growth and the postwar recovery, while the goal was to build the fundamentals of socialism. But in the 70's, the austerity that had previously characterized the North Korean life leads to higher levels of consumption and government spending. North Korean
housing was always large compared to the eastern field or China, but within them always had the basics (furniture, kitchen, shower ,...).
is from the 70 when it made frequent television sets, stereos and appliances.
Until then the goal had been to dress appropriately for the entire population, from 70, the North Koreans begin to wear clothes varied and of good quality. It also improves food and shopping ("department stores") begin to offer a greater variety of consumer goods.
This is possible because in 1967, Korea achieved complete the construction of basic socialist industry and, thereafter, begins to create the developed socialism.
However, the North Koreans never (either before or at the 70, not now) have been a consumer society. This is easily explained. As the DPRK has always been a self-sustaining state in economic growth rates have been maintained thanks to the huge state investment. The three remaining areas within the state budget are military spending, social spending (education, health ,...) and private consumption (which in a socialist society has much to do with government investment in light industry). Private consumption has always been the issue with less investment in this group.
Not only that, they are the very men and women of the DPRK who have chosen a life of struggle and sacrifice for the construction of socialism. And consistently demonstrated in the large mobilizations of volunteers, donations internationalists and generally all aspects of life in society, they have always had an importance far superior to having privacy. This is the product of enormous ideological commitment and thereby reducing consumption for collective development of society and country.
I mention this last point, the collective development is of vital importance to the age of 70. Is seen especially in the development of North Korean cities. Until then the city had built a massive residential areas due to the enormous needs following the war, aged 70, and it is not only increasing in number, but above all, increase in quality. In
71, Pyongyang opens its first metro line, while the city becomes the world with more green areas per inhabitant. The new districts as well as functional are nice and the city is full of monuments. The same happens in other cities including Hamhung, Kaesong, Hyangsan or Wonsan.
In education, this emphasis on public investment is evident in the creation of the School Children's Palaces, huge free center with facilities for sports, arts and entertainment. It is also increasing quality through the implementation of a new and definitive plan of education: the thesis of Socialist Education.
The new plan extends the length of the North Korean education to 11 years in 1975.
I think that to understand the immense progress that this system is, you have to make a comparison.
For example, while North Korea's thesis applied the Socialist Education in a European country like Spain, which by then had a greater economic capacity to Korea, at that moment hardly be provided education to all students studying age and poor education system had a short duration of only 7 years.
North Korea's educational model, after the reform was completed in 1975, it has maintained until today. Meanwhile, in Spain, we accumulate continuing education reforms in line with the overcrowding, the elitism and commercialism. Even with the latest reform implemented in the English government, education mandatory for one year less than in Korea and the network of public pre-school only meets the demands of just over 20% of families. I think it's important to compare, to understand the importance of Korean socialism gives to education and show that it is possible to organize an effective model even in situations of international blockade and obstacles of all kinds.
2.6.1 - Principles contained in the Theses of the Socialist Education
The Socialist Education thesis is finally approved in September 1977.
Paradoxically, they are the cause of all the reforms taking place in the 70's, but the consequence: the formulation written final result of the reforms.
In 1970 marks the Fifth Congress of the PTC, and it was decided to reform to be completed in 1975 with the implementation of compulsory education for 11 years. However, I think it is important to study first principles that inherently are behind this reform and then made explicit in the thesis.
The basic goal of the new model of education is ideological: to create social beings, which in turn have a strong critical thinking, creativity and independence. This is not to oppose the social to the individual, the Western style, but to develop independent creativity of students have numerous visits and every individual, so that trips can bring more to the group. It is not, either, to create a mass society so obedient, but a group that is the sum of all individual skills developed. In this way, they are revolutionary communists with a strong sense of independence and creativity.
Of course, we are talking now of the ideological aspect of education, the non-ideological still maintaining the principles of the reform of technical education in the 60's.
ideological To achieve this objective, formulated four basic principles:
- develop in young people a strong sense of unity around their organizations (especially the Party) and a sense of class. That is, party loyalty (as conscious discipline, not imposed) and class consciousness. Resolve
- all according to the group's own capabilities and without waiting for people or outside institutions to solve their own problems. Thoroughly study and understand the characteristics. This principle is called "establishing Juche in education." Combine
- revolutionary theory with practice. Promotion of voluntary adherence to practical actions to raise the ideological consciousness.
- The socialist state is the one who must organize and conduct ideological education.
The Socialist Education thesis also affect much of the pedagogical method of teaching, emphasizing the application of a heuristic model. That is, looking not so much teach concepts and skills, but to have students develop search capabilities, innovation, creativity and criticism.
Thus, teachers need to persuade students and ensure that they reach the right solutions.
Similarly, in Korea are not corrected misbehavior through administrative methods of punishment and sanction. Is encouraged, however, it is the group itself, through criticism and self-criticism, to correct. This plays an important role the League of Socialist Youth Worker (former Union of Democratic Youth).
In Korea, also means the gradual process of formation and regulated by laws of science. So are many analysis of what is for each age and how to maximize the abilities of students. From the 70, there are these groups for research and continuous review of textbooks and methodology.
I myself could see this system today. When in 2008 we visited the Kindergarten "Kim Jong Suk" in Pyongyang, we were able to attend some classes taking place at that time. Teachers know even how they have to talk (tone, volume, intonation ...) to capture the attention of young learners. The whole training process is studied and planned. This really surprised us the entire group. The director of the daycare center and taught us complained that we could not spend a whole day there. The reason was that the student's day nursery was full of varied activities, well planned to develop the full potential of students.
Thus, we understand how children aged between two and five years could learn to play musical instruments or had so ably high level of handwriting and reading.
2.6.2 - The system of compulsory education from 11 years
Following the decision taken at the Fifth Congress of the PTC to implement compulsory education of 11 years, was taken as a deadline Six-Year Plan (1971 - 1976) .
The first step was to convene a national debate teachers, which discussed how to extend two years of compulsory education. It was decided make mandatory the section between 5 and 16, with 1 year of preschool and 10 primary and secondary education.
Compulsory education ends, therefore, right at the minimum working age: 16 years.
As a second step, 40 schools in the country started from October 1970 to provide compulsory education to 11 years. In 1971 he made a Central Committee plenum expanded, inviting the participation of teachers in charge of the new mode of teaching. Through these experiences, expanded the number of schools testing the new system to 400, approximately 10% of the nation's schools.
On this basis, the country sets the target in the 1975-1976 academic year, began a course with 100% of students enrolled in compulsory education of 11 years. This school meant more than 5.6 million young people at the same time, ie one third of the total population.
was a leap not only quantitative but also qualitative. In 1971 the education budget grew by 21% over the previous year in 1973 grew by 14% compared to 1972. This resulted in the construction of 30,000 new classrooms around the country to be distributed so that their school had no students more than 2 km from home. Buses and trains were organized student for rural areas.
The number of primary schools increased to 4,700 in 1975 and the secondary to 4,100.
Each class then had a maximum of 25 students, a figure that has been progressively reduced over the years, to improve the quality of teaching.
On September 1, 1975, promulgates the Law on North Korea schooling to 100% of children between 5 and 16 years within the compulsory education system.
2.6.3 - The rest of the educational goals of the decade
The 70's is also the time when adult education is experiencing a new momentum. After numerous campaigns throughout the first half of the decade, in 1975, the number of graduates of higher education reaches one million people.
is, in 5 years there have been more people in the past 25 years. This is a result of all the facilities that are given to the study, keeping the job, and organized group study.
The number of technicians and specialists for agricultural cooperatives increased to 55 in 1976.
Between 1970 and 1976, 26 new universities were founded. Also reinforce the hours of laboratory and practical training. Kim Chaek University of Technology (Engineering) building practices center 7'500 sqm.
network in pre-school, modernize existing nursery, which total nearly 60'000 across the country, divided into neighborhoods, factories, cooperatives, and in general, any site where they can be useful. 3'500'000 preschoolers are enrolled in the public in 1975. During these years, in addition, strengthening the health education of preschool children.
However, North Korea, with a population of less at the end of the decade to 16 million people, schooling for more than nine million people in the public and free. Throughout the country as a poster said time is a great school.
Juan Nogueira
From the wording we want to apologize for the delay of a day in the publication of this part of the article. Sorry.
From the wording we want to apologize for the delay of a day in the publication of this part of the article. Sorry.
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