(Korea) Schools to extend extracurricular classes until 8 p.m. for first graders

MicroWave@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 207 points –
koreaherald.com
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I get providing childcare after school ends but why does it need to be classroom based? In Sweden after school ends you can enroll your kids in "fritids" (literally translated "freetimey") which is basically lightly trained adults supervising and organizing games and playtime and crafts etc. It's even available at night in places where there are industries with a night shift. Kids need play and fun and social activities not endless packing in of information.

but why does it need to be classroom based?

Because Korean educational/work culture has become insanely unhealthy in terms of it's workload and competitiveness. Every student is competing for the "good" universities in Seoul, and if you aren't good enough for those and land in literally any other college or no college at all, then you're considered an abject failure. Students end up studying or working 14+ hours a day to accomodate this. Their entire country's work/life balance has become so incredibly skewed it's destroyed their future demographics as young people no longer have children, they do nothing but work constantly to be "successful".

Pretty soon, South Koreans are just gonna strap into their work desks with a catheter out of the womb and get shoved aside the moment they croak to make room for the next one.

Had this in my small town in America. They knew folks didn't have a whole extra mortgage to pay for childcare, so they paid some teachers more after school to watch those kids who parents worked later. We did hw, played games, got the playground to ourselves, then went home when mom and dad came. But in America this idea hasn't gone off the ground, idk why because day care centers are making a stealing.

There were after school programs when I was a kid too and I wasn't in a small town. Just depends on where you are I guess. We'd start in the cafeteria with a small snack and then go to the playground for a while before hanging out in the gym goofing off and watching movies until we got picked up

basically lightly trained adults supervising and organizing games and playtime and crafts etc.

That sounds like a fun job. Is the pay shit?

I would doubt it. Shit even in Sweden pay for working at McDonald's is pretty solid.

You'd be wrong, you can be paid shit in Sweden too. But then you usually pay lower taxes too, so maybe it evens out. Thanks to social system and healthcare included it is still better than in the US though.

Some days I feel lucky to be born in Canada; some days I don't.

By Swedish standards yes. It's a typical retirement job, most working long term are 50+ and tired of their old career track. The other portion of staff are young people just done with school in some care profession but hasn't yet found a steady job in their field.

Of course there are people that work there all their life but it's the exception in my experience.

I'd say in the rural areas the pay is sufficient, but in the major cities it's not, too much has to go to rent or you need to commute for way too long.