Emerging Consumerism and the Accelerated "Education Divide": The Case of Specialized High Schools in South Korea

Overview & Synopsis

This paper criticizes the neoliberal shift in Korean education toward educational consumerism by analyzing the boom in Specialized High schools (SHs). For its theoretical background, this paper discusses the issues of freedom, equal opportunity, and choice in education, and investigates how neoliberal consumerism has been encouraging the boom in SHs in Korea. To support its arguments, the paper provides a brief overview of the historical background of Korean education vis-a-vis the growth of private education and the emerging parental demand for educational choices. Next, the case of the SHs is analyzed in terms of how the shift creates the vicious circle of "education divide." Finally, discussions follow to emphasize that educational consumerism may cause detrimental effects on educational equity by bringing about an educational crisis rather than an opportunity. Reflecting on the case of SHs, this paper argues that educational consumerism aggravates the education divide and accelerates social polarization. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables and 13 notes.)