In this blog post, I will consider whether the “ladder of learning” provided to underprivileged students based on my experience of educational volunteer work can lead to true equality of opportunity.
I have been working for a volunteer organization called “People Who Share Learning” for a year and four months since last summer. This volunteer work has provided me with great learning opportunities and makes me realize the value of social responsibility and volunteer work every week. “People Who Share Learning,” or ‘Baenaesa’ for short, is an organization that provides educational services to children from socially marginalized groups. It is the largest educational service organization in South Korea, with more than 250 students and 400 volunteers. This place, where various children gather and numerous volunteers dedicate themselves, plays an important role in opening up new possibilities for students who have been deprived of educational opportunities. This organization mainly aims to teach students from socially marginalized groups. While some students come voluntarily, many are sent by schools that have given up on them or are referred by local governments. I am introducing this organization because I want to share my experience with this organization and the lessons I learned from it.
This semester, a particularly prominent student joined our class. This student was a member of the sports club until the first semester of the second year, but he had to give up sports due to an unexpected accident, and as a result, he had hardly studied until now. His parents supported him so that he could devote himself to sports, but the sudden accident changed all his plans. As his life changed, the task of studying, which he had never experienced before, became a burden for him, and his grades naturally dropped and his motivation to study also declined. Even when preparing for exams, he would often copy the answers during problem-solving time, and he had almost never solved problems or felt a sense of accomplishment.
However, as the classes continued, I began to feel that the student had great potential. At first, he was negative about studying, but as he was explained the basics step by step, he gradually gained confidence. In the units where the previous content was the basis, he often copied the answers, but he showed unexpected results in understanding new content and tackling problems. In the units where he could only solve problems with the content he learned on that day, he showed excellent application and calculation skills. His concentration and strong mental strength, which were built through exercise, supported him, and I could see that he was gradually improving his grades. So I am teaching him the basic content he needs. I am also helping him start from the basics by adding a different activity time every week. Although he is still at a rudimentary level, I believe that he has a great potential to grow if he continues to work hard and show passion.
Teaching at Bae Na Sa opened up new perspectives for me as well. I am always amazed to see that even students who receive the lowest grades at school and are classified as “inferior classes” show enough potential if they are taught from the basics. I feel that there are many students with such potential around us, but they often limit themselves because they simply do not have the opportunity. When students see their grades improve and they become interested in studying, they realize the importance of providing equal opportunities in education. This process is long and slow, but it eventually leads to students learning how to study on their own and feeling a sense of accomplishment. This change is not just about improving grades, but is the first step towards self-growth, and it makes us realize how powerful learning is.
So why are these students placed in the ‘lowest’ class at school and do they even give up on studying? I think the reason can be found in the social structure and the inherited educational inequality. The curriculum for middle and high school education in Korea is not actually very complicated. Rather than requiring difficult calculations or a high level of understanding, it is at a level where students can follow without much difficulty as long as they master the basic understanding and rules. In particular, mathematics and science can be learned by mastering the basic principles, so a little effort and a little help from others can produce results. However, the current education system tends to divide students according to whether they have prior learning and accept differences in grades as a natural result.
The key issue here is the evaluation method of public education. Most public schools differentiate education by placing students in classes based on their current grades, which in turn leads to differences in educational opportunities based on the economic power of their families. Students from families with more economic resources are placed in advanced classes through prior learning and receive more educational opportunities. On the other hand, students from underprivileged families tend to fall behind early on, which gradually deepens and eventually creates a large gap in academic achievement. As a result, the phenomenon of students from low-income families falling behind due to lack of prior learning leads to social inequality that is inherited beyond the simple “academic gap.” In fact, when looking at the college admission rates of prestigious “SKY” universities, high schools in specific areas such as Gangnam-gu have much higher admission rates than other areas. In addition, statistics showing that the wages of children with parents with a college degree or high school diploma differ by up to 24.4% even if their SAT scores are the same, clearly show the reality of educational inequality.
To break this stratification, I feel the need for an “education ladder.” The education ladder is a foundation that allows individuals to overcome the stratification through their own efforts and will. I believe that we should create a society where individuals can achieve their dreams through their own efforts and achievements, regardless of their parents’ wealth or whether they have private education. To do so, we need to apply a school-centered evaluation system so that private education is not necessary within public education, and educational volunteer organizations such as Byun’s Education can provide supplementary help to students who do not have the opportunity to receive private education. If this process is carried out, it will be possible to alleviate social stratification and provide fair competition opportunities.
The “education ladder” I am talking about is ultimately about realizing equality of opportunity in a welfare society through education. This is not just about improving grades, but an essential effort to reduce social disparities. Educational volunteer services like those of BanaSa can serve as a ladder to fill the void in private education and serve as a great example. Of course, institutional change will not come easily, but I believe that if we continue to make small changes, it will lead to big changes at some point.
I was able to enter a science high school and then a university relatively easily thanks to the preparation I received at the academy during middle school. I have received a lot of benefits from society through this process, so now I am participating in volunteer activities in the hope of being able to give back a little. My experience at Baena Sa was a great learning experience for me, and I will continue to serve and build on this ladder.
