Korean students rank among the most diligent attendees in classes across OECD member countries, yet their actual engagement in the classroom falls short of expectations, a report has found. Critics say schools are losing their function as places of learning amid exam-focused education and uniform teaching methods.
According to a report titled "Classrooms Where Attendance Does Not Lead to Growth," published Tuesday by the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), 2 percent of Korean students were absent for three or more consecutive months based on the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), far below the OECD average of 7.6 percent.
However, a Ministry of Education survey found that 27.3 percent of high school students said they tend to sleep during class, while 19.2 percent said they engage in activities unrelated to the lesson. In particular, the in-class sleeping rate among general high school students stood at 28.6 percent, more than 10 percentage points higher than at autonomous high schools (17.9 percent), foreign language high schools (13.1 percent) and science high schools (14.3 percent).
"Learning Happens Outside School"…Dropouts Also Rising
Some in the education sector analyze that actual learning is moving outside school. According to the "2025 Survey on Private Education Expenditure for Elementary, Middle and High School Students" released by the Ministry of Education and Statistics Korea, the private education participation rate reached 75.7 percent, with students investing an average of 7.1 hours per week in private education. This means a structure relying more on private academy lessons than school classes is taking hold.
The number of students choosing to discontinue their studies amid exam competition is also rising. The high school dropout rate increased from 1.1 percent in 2020 to 2.1 percent last year. Among the reasons for dropping out, "other," which includes preparation for the qualification examination and alternative education, accounted for the largest share at 68.8 percent.
Discontinuation of studies was mainly concentrated among first-year high school students, and a considerable number of those preparing for college entrance through the qualification examination were analyzed to be top-ranked test takers. By region, the trend was prominent in areas with high educational fervor, such as Seocho-gu (2.3 percent) and Gangnam-gu (2.2 percent).
Experts stress that schools must reestablish themselves as spaces where learning and growth take place, rather than simply serving as a passage for college entrance. To this end, some recommended moving away from lecture-style teaching focused on conveying concepts, expanding discussion, project and collaborative learning, and strengthening learning experiences centered on reading, inquiry and reflection.
Min Yun-kyung, head of the research planning office at KEDI, said, "There must first be a social consensus that schools are spaces where 'learning and growth' take place, not a passage for preparing for college entrance."
