"In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), our education must now shift from a system that cultivates 'the ability to find correct answers' to one that nurtures 'the ability to ask questions.'"
Koh Young-sun, president of the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), made this statement on Tuesday at an Education Reform Conference held at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, pointing out that "education is still focused on the ability to find correct answers." He diagnosed that "the 1980s-style 'mass production model,' in which only one out of five high school classmates went to college, has continued until now, when the college entrance rate approaches 70%."
The event was organized to discuss reform directions across primary, secondary, and higher education amid demographic changes and technological innovation. The results of the discussions are to be reflected in the establishment of the national education plan going forward.
Koh presented "the ability to ask questions" as a core competency in the AI era. "AI answers only as much as you ask," he said. "Along with the ability to accurately grasp problems and pose essential questions, the capacity to critically review answers and creatively expand upon them is important."
However, he pointed out that the current education system still remains anchored in a selection-centered structure. "While absolute evaluation has been introduced, relative evaluation still takes center stage in school records and the college entrance exam," Koh said. "In particular, the ranking-style assessment of school records is acting as a factor that intensifies competition within classrooms." He explained that this evaluation structure can impose repeated experiences of failure and feelings of exclusion on some students.
Concerns were also raised that excessively competition-centered education could lead to psychological burdens for students. "Korea is a country with a high suicide rate, and education is presumed to be one of its causes," he said, emphasizing the need to re-examine the education system as a whole.
Issues were also raised regarding education governance. "Major systems such as principal selection, teacher transfers, and education superintendent appointments are still operated in a centralized manner," Koh said. "It is a structure in which decision-making authority is concentrated in education offices and the central government rather than on school sites." He added that "such a structure induces passive and defensive attitudes among teachers and becomes a factor that lowers job satisfaction in the teaching profession." He also cited excessive administrative burdens and uniform policy implementation as elements undermining autonomy in the field.
"Teachers with the capacity to support students' growth, and teachers with the authority to practice customized education, are important," Koh said, emphasizing the strengthening of teachers' roles.
Meanwhile, Cha Jung-in, chairperson of the National Education Commission, said in a congratulatory address, "Korea must break free from the shackles of the outdated system of academic elitism and extreme college entrance competition." He added, "The National Education Commission will listen carefully to the insights and wisdom of experts drawn from today's conference and actively reflect them in the draft 'National Education Plan' to be announced at the end of October."
