A Study on the Operation of a “Temporary Teacher Training Academy” in the 13 Provinces in the 1920s

Abstract

As it approached the 1920s, the entrance rate to primary school rose among Korean people, which led to the multiplication of primary schools around the nation. Another consequence was the growing need for Korean elementary school teachers to teach Korean students, but the demand was not met because the teacher training institutions only educated Japanese teachers. Having the establishment of school of education in mind, the Japanese Government General of Korea opened a “Temporary Teacher Training Academy” in each province as a temporary measure. Each of the 13 provinces opened and ran such an academy at the seat of provincial government in April and May, 1920. The establishment of a temporary teacher training academy was a ground-breaking event in the modern history of teacher training. Such academies helped the teacher training system concentrated on Seoul and some large cities expand around the nation and further were inherited as schools of education, becoming a matrix for today’s elementary teacher training institutions.