Looking deeper into the educational success of Korea - Essay Example

Learning has always been valued through the ages. Even from the start of documented history, learning has been shown to be a part of the people’s way of life. There are several means of learning which have been established and improved through the years For instance, it is evident that during the early years, education often started from the family wherein both parents stood as the teachers. Children were often taught about ethical values and skills to help them survive when they need to be independent.

As the years passed and many intriguing things about the world challenged people to learn more about their environment, a more adequate design of learning were created. People sought tutors who were thinkers or philosophers, often on a one on one basis. This allowed only a few to avail of such prestigious privileges, often by the rich who were able to pay the fees and allow their children to indulge and concentrate in educating themselves instead of helping with the household chores or other immediately profitable activities.

Eventually, as the value of education was recognized by the common people, education evolved to cater to more students in one setting, making learning more affordable. Today, learning is like an ordinary thing. Sometimes, children do not seem to understand the value of education anymore. They tend to go to school with the idea that it is a common practice and they would become a byword if they do not do as other children do. Learning has become available to everyone and become a common thing to most Americans that its importance seems to have been diminished.

However, in places where learning is still considered a precious commodity, children seem to understand the reason for their education more than others do so that learning becomes a challenge to them a means to better their lives, making them more focused and purposeful in going to school. Consequently, they show better performances than other children. In an article written by Nicholas Kristof entitled China’s Winning Schools? (nytimes.com), the author acknowledges the Confucian influence to have played a great role in making China take the top place of best performing students in math, science and reading among sixty five countries.

Jeong Kyu-Lee seems to agree with the writer. One of the Confucian thoughts the latter mentioned is its ideologies on leadership such as “To govern is to correct. If you set an example by being correct, who would dare to remain incorrect?” (Lee). This thought provokes more learning from the people. In a world where people all seem to be acting in correct manners so that they are succeeding and becoming famous, indeed, who would want to left behind and remain uneducated, ignorant and poor?

Another ideal from the Confucian thought which made an impact in the lives of the Chinese and Koreans in relation to learning is “If a man manages to make himself correct, what difficulty will there be for him to take part in government? If he cannot make himself correct, what business has he with making others correct?” (Lee). With such a concept, people have come to understand that leadership is not just given to rich and powerful people. It is also available to poor people who are able to correct themselves.

Of course, the means to such objective would be learning. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the Chinese who hold to Confucian disciplines value education so much so that they have topped other countries in the aforementioned studies. Discipline is one of the Confucian values that make Asians perform well. the quotations above show first and foremost the importance of a disciplined man. A man correcting himself shows that he is not just learned, informed or knowledgeable but he is able to apply the things he learns to himself first and to others, second.

A man may be learned but it does not always guarantee him to be able to correct himself. It takes discipline for a man to do the right thing of examining