Equity and an Alternative Educational Method: A Korean Case Study

Abstract

Despite the unprecedented growth of enrollment in primary schools and substantial investments at the secondary and university levels, educational growth in developing countries in the last two decades has failed to provide greater social and economic equity. In 1975, about a third of the children of primary school age in the developing countries, estimated to be 120 million children, were not enrolled in school; only about a third of those in the 12-17 age group, and 9 percent of those in the 18-23 age group were in school; about a third of the adult population was still illiterate. Moreover, provision of educational opportunities within a country varied significantly among regions, sexes, and socioeconomic groups. Unless the rate of expansion of educational opportunities improves, the total number of children not in school and illiterate adults will increase-rather than decrease-significantly during the next decade. Unless a conscientious effort is made by development policymakers to correct the regressive character of educational systems and policies which favor, in general, urban populations and middleand upper-income groups, the lowincome groups will be at a definite disadvantage with respect to access to and promotion within the system. Fortunately, it has now become clear that the emphasis on national economic growth in the past decades has not improved the status of the poor quickly and effectively. As a result, the definition of development has been expanded to include not only economic growth but also elimination of poverty, both absolute and relative. This comprehensive approach to development underlines the significance of education, because education not only contributes to growth in productivity and national income but also helps to alleviate poverty. Efforts to expand and equalize educational opportunities often face a paradoxical situation: countries with more educational needs have fewer resources to meet them. For example, eight African countries spend over 20 percent of their recurrent public budget on education yet have not achieved a literacy rate above 15 percent; about a quarter of all developing countries