A local government ordinance to extend the hours during which high school students in Seoul can take cram school classes from 10 p.m. to midnight has been introduced at the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Students and parents encountered in the Daechi-dong cram school district showed mixed views, saying, "It's good that choice is guaranteed," and "Students already attend too many cram schools."
◇ Seoul until 10 p.m. vs. eight regions including Daejeon and Ulsan until midnight
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 5th, the amendment to the local government ordinance on the establishment and operation of cram schools and private tutoring of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education would keep cram school class hours for elementary and middle school students at 10 p.m. as before, while allowing high school students to study until midnight. City council member Jeong Ji-woong led the proposal on the 20th. The proposed local government ordinance will be reviewed by the Education Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and then put to a vote at a plenary session. If passed, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will promulgate it under the Act on Local Educational Autonomy.
Jeong told ChosunBiz by phone, "Nearly half of regions nationwide already allow cram school classes until midnight, so keeping Seoul at 10 p.m. is reverse discrimination," adding, "Whether to attend cram schools should be left to the choice of students and parents."
The Hagwon Act leaves it to each city and province to set permissible cram school hours by local government ordinance. Since 2008, Seoul has allowed all elementary, middle, and high school students to attend cram schools only until 10 p.m. Gyeonggi, Daegu, Sejong, and Gwangju Metropolitan City are also set at 10 p.m. Eight places, including Daejeon and Ulsan, allow classes until midnight; South Jeolla Province allows until 11:50 p.m.; and Busan, Incheon, and North Jeolla Province allow until 11 p.m.
◇ "Effectively studying at cram schools until midnight through workarounds"
On the night of the 4th, students and parents met in the Daechi-dong cram school district of Gangnam-gu, Seoul, showed mixed reactions to the push to extend cram school hours.
A parent, a person surnamed Kim (50), who was waiting to take home a daughter preparing for the college entrance exam, said, "Kids are already tired, and if they stay at cram schools until midnight, they will be even more exhausted." A person surnamed Choi (45), who has a ninth-grader, said, "Even with cram schools running until 10 p.m., kids are struggling," adding, "If it goes until midnight, school will truly become just a place to sleep."
By contrast, a retaker, a person surnamed Gwak (20), said, "Some students want to study late," adding, "For students who feel they lack study time, it definitely helps."
There is also criticism that the amendment to the local government ordinance is effectively meaningless, as cram schools are already engaging in "workarounds" to evade the "until 10 p.m." rule.
A high school student, a person surnamed Son (17), said, "Students who attend cram schools in Daechi-dong usually 'self-study' next to the cram school until midnight, which is effectively an extension of cram school classes." A representative of an English cram school said, "Regardless of the local government ordinance, we are effectively conducting classes until midnight."
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is known to be negative about extending cram school instruction hours to midnight.