Half of Korean parents want to send children abroad despite financial woes: survey

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- Nearly half of all Korean parents want to send their
children abroad for international study even though the financial burden of
educational spending already weighs heavily on them, a government survey found
Friday.
The survey comes as the country has seen growing signs that the sluggish economy
has dampened parents' zeal for international study. The central bank's tally
recently showed spending on overseas study fell for the first time in seven years
during the first half of 2008.
According to the survey of 42,000 people by the National Statistics Office, 48.3
percent of parents aged 30 and older wanted their children to have an overseas
education, while four out of 10 said they believe the earlier the better.
Elementary school age was the best time to study abroad for 12.3 percent of
respondents, while 14.8 percent said middle school was best and 14.7 percent
answered high school. Another 48.7 percent said college was the ideal time to
send children abroad for education.
When asked about the advantages of an overseas education, 36.4 percent answered
it gave their children an international perspective. An aversion to the Korean
education system accounted for 23.7 percent, while 16.6 percent said they hoped
to help their children discover talents and enhance their academic ability.
Some 13.1 percent cited access to foreign language as a motivating factor, while
6.1 percent noted the current social trend that emphasizes foreign degrees over
local ones.
With the ongoing financial crisis, however, parents are finding it increasingly
difficult to shoulder rising education expenditures. The survey showed 79.8
percent of households saying they have been impacted by the increased burden,
compared to 73.4 percent in 2000 and 77.4 percent in 2004.
Such economic woes were evident in the latest report by the Education Ministry
this week, which found the number of young Koreans going abroad to study
decreased last year for the first time.
The report said 27,668 elementary and secondary school students left the country
for schools overseas last year, down 6 percent from the previous year. The
decrease is unprecedented as Korean students have continued to head out in record
numbers since data first began being kept in 1998.
Despite parents' growing financial woes, the survey revealed a surge in the
number of students who say they feel happy about their school lives. 51 percent
responded positively, compared to 41.3 percent in 2002.
In day-to-day activities, the survey found Koreans are more concerned about food
safety than possible threats from North Korea. The survey was conducted in May,
as concerns spread over the safety of U.S. beef imports following an import
agreement signed the previous month.