Obama lauds Korean education of children

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, March 10 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday called for
the United States to look to South Korea in adopting longer school days and
after-school programs for American children to help them survive in an era of
keen global competition.
"Our children -- listen to this -- our children spend over a month less in school
than children in South Korea every year," Obama told a gathering at the U.S.
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce here. "That's no way to prepare them for a
21st-century economy."
Obama made his remarks while emphasizing the need for sweeping reform of the U.S.
education system for which he earmarked US$41 billion out of the $787 billion
stimulus package to cope with the worst recession in decades.
"We can no longer afford an academic calendar designed for when America was a
nation of farmers who needed their children at home plowing the land at the end
of each day," he said. "That calendar may have once made sense, but today it puts
us at a competitive disadvantage."
The U.S. president called for Americans "not only to expand effective
after-school programs but to rethink the school day to incorporate more time,
whether it's during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who
need it."
Conceding that such ideas "are not wildly popular," Obama said, "The challenges
of a new century demand more time in the classroom. If they can do that in South
Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America."
In January, Obama blasted school authorities in Washington, D.C., for shutting
down schools for the day due to just a few inches of snow.
"Of course, no matter how innovative our schools or how effective our teachers,
America cannot succeed unless our students take responsibility for their own
education," Obama said. "That means showing up for school on time, paying
attention in class, seeking out extra tutoring if it's needed, staying out of
trouble.
Obama also lamented the high high school dropout rate.
"As I said a couple of weeks ago, dropping out is quitting on yourself, it's
quitting on your country, and it's not an option -- not anymore," he said. "Not
when our high-school dropout rate has tripled in the past 30 years. Not when
high-school dropouts earn about half as much as college graduates. Not when
Latino students are dropping out faster than just about anyone else. It's time
for all of us, no matter what our backgrounds, to come together and solve this
epidemic."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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