Nilay savas
(the master's course in korean liguistics)
 
 Education has become a necessity such as bread and water for people. When I first came to Korea, I saw people that were enthusiastic about their children's education. I heard that kindergarten children in Korea have learned English as well as the cultures of many countries. I felt a chill when I learned that Korean children had taken English lessons. Before I came to Korea, I didn't know about the Turkish education system. But now, I feel there is a broad distinction between the education systems of Turkey and Korea.
 I especially feel a big difference in the preschool education. Turkish education focuses on children’s talents. Turkey’s teachers and parents receive an education by discovering a born talent and by giving basic foreign language education to children. On the other hand, many kindergartens in Korea run classes in English. I was really surprised after hearing this story. A big difference between Korea's and Turkey's education is noticeable in secondary education. I know that Korea’s schools are divided into schools for job training and academic high schools. Among them, the academic high schools impressed me. Unlike Turkey, students who are attending Korea’s academic high schools study in a strict education system. Korea’s high school students stay at school until late every night for self-study to enter a prestigious university. This education system is only in Korea. Korean students always look tired, but I think Korean society can develop because of their education system.
 Educational institutions in Turkey are also divided into two parts, which are the schools for job training and for education. However, Turkey's schools for employment are well-developed compared with Korea. Turkey has vocational schools or training colleges for people who want to quickly find work in Turkey because young people find it hard to find jobs. They have carved out a future about their employment since their early years. Turkey's higher educational establishments weren't well furnished by the education system. I think Turkey's higher education system needs reformation. One of Turkey's educational problems is that most education in Turkey only consists of the leadership of professors. Turkey's students can participate in the presentation only once or twice per a semester, so students have difficulty taking an active part in classes. In Korea universities, Korean students can actively participate in classes by giving presentations and discussions.
 Today, the problem of Korea’s educational system is that most people are busy memorizing. They concentrate on short-term and simple memorization, so people memorize today and forget tomorrow. I think short-term and simple memorization is a big problem, so it should be corrected. Understanding contents of subjects is more important than simply memorizing knowledge.