# data[].attributes.body
Defining social justice and critical education as a starting point, audience members will be invited to frame this in the Korean context of English language education. Significant issues will then be brought forward which directly relate to the benefits or disadvantages of English language education and the broader sector as it exists in Korea in 2022. This will be an interactive session, with questions available before the event in an online space so responses, comments, or relevant reading can be shared to increase engagement during the live session. The ultimate objective shall be to attempt to raise awareness through dialogue on the topic of critical education and social justice to English language education in Korea.

# data[].attributes.body
This link will take you to the event description at the KOTESOL International Conference page on Edzilla.

The abstract has changed slightly, so please read the most up-to-date version below.

# data[].attributes.body
Possession of English language skills is widely regarded as a necessary element for educational, social, and professional advancement in Korea. Acquiring these skills comes at a significant cost to students and families. These costs include the price of learning and study, the commitment of time required to meet a hoped-for standard, and also when skills and talents in other areas are neglected in favour of enhancing English. What are the roles of educators in English language courses who practice in these settings, and what are some alternatives?

# data[].attributes.headline
Korea's Demographic Challenges and English Education

# data[].attributes.subject
Korea's Demographic Challenges and English Education

# data[].attributes.body
Korea’s declining birthrate and increasingly smaller departments, programs, and classrooms are major challenges facing all aspects of education in Korea. English language education must assert itself in this increasingly complicated setting. What challenges are prominent? To what extent will the future of English language education be dictated by Korea’s demographic challenges?

# data[].attributes.headline
Does Technology Create or Remove Barriers to Learning?

# data[].attributes.subject
Does Technology Create or Remove Barriers to Learning?

# data[].attributes.body
Technology has long been regarded as a disruptor in education. For English language learning, technology can offer solutions to physical and virtual borders, offer immediate feedback, and provide seemingly unlimited resources and opportunities to communicate. For some, these opportunities appear to be highly advantageous to all learners and can grant opportunities to learn which were previously inaccessible. Government policies in Korea and around the world reflect these advantages and have proven responsive to the many advances in  technology which focus on education. To what extent has technology impacted the teaching and learning of English? Can digital technology become the answer to removing barriers to learning caused by economic and social disadvantages?

# data[].attributes.body
Our groups main activities are largely conducted through our Facebook group. Please join in our conversations here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Social Justice (Critical Educators in Korea) SIG | Facebook

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the KOTESOL Social Justice (SJ) Special Interest Group (SIG)! Unofficially launched in September of 2015, the group soon became affiliated with KOTESOL. From its start, this group has...

# data[].attributes.headline
What is the purpose of the Social Justice SIG

# data[].attributes.subject
What is the purpose of the Social Justice SIG

# data[].attributes.body
Unofficially launched in September of 2015, the group soon became affiliated with KOTESOL. From its start, this group has endeavored to connect active educators who are interested in social justice, language teaching and learning, and critical approaches to education in South Korea.

Through its Facebook group and member-driven initiatives, this SIG aims to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of a wide range of social justice issues connected to language and education. Some key issues we seek to address pertain to inequality and injustice, and the ways these affect diverse individuals in society due to differences in the following: age, ancestry/background, physical appearance, level of education, sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression (LGBTQIPA+), mental/physical health and/or ability/disability, national origin and/or native language(s), political/religious/spiritual beliefs, race/ethnicity, socio-economic and/or marital/relationship status. The scope of issues ranges from individual/local concerns to more collective/global ones, as they relate to a vision for a more harmonious/sustainable future for all.

In the spirit of heart and hope, members of this KOTESOL SIG will attempt to promote positive and pacific transformative social outcomes through teaching and learning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Social Justice (Critical Education in Korea) on KOTESOL.org

# data[].attributes.subject
Social Justice (Critical Education in Korea) on KOTESOL.org

# data[].attributes.body
For more details about our SIG please visit the KOTESOL website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to the KOTESOL webpage for Social Justice (Critical Educators in Korea) Special Interest Group. Unofficially launched in September of 2015, the group soon became affiliated with KOTESOL. From its start, this group has endeavored to connect active educators who are interested in social justice, language teaching and learning, and critical approaches to education in South Korea.

Here are some links about the Social Justice (Critical Educators in Korea) special interest group:

Leadership:

Current Facilitator: Conor O'Reilly (2021~)

SIG Founder; Leadership Support: Jocelyn Wright (2015~)

Past Coordinators: Maria Lisak (2018-2019); Mitzi Kaufman (2018)

Contact sjsig@koreatesol.org for more details.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the KOTESOL webpage for Social Justice (Critical Educators in Korea) Special Interest Group. Unofficially launched in September of 2015, the group soon became affiliated with KOTESOL. From its start, this group has endeavored to connect active educators who are interested in social justice, language teaching and learning, and critical approaches to education in South Korea.

# data[].attributes.body
There is a certain amount of ongoing research on the impact of declining school age population on higher education, which is something many KOTESOL members in HE will be familiar with. This particular summary does not give much away, but it does point towards a suggested pathway which may be taken by HE providers. To what extent do these kinds of policies impact teachers in universities, but also in public education where class sizes are also decreasing.

# data[].attributes.body
This story was one many from late last year which mentioned the ongoing challenges facing universities in Korea. While class sizes in middle and high school may be declining, the smaller number of students entering universities means that closures or downsizing may threaten jobs or job security in these locations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Eighty-four private universities have problems recruiting new students, which means they could end up broke before their current students have graduated. Many more provincial universities are unable to meet their annual student quotas due to the declining population and student preference for Seoul.

According to a report by the Korean Educational Development Institute, the 84 universities' finances are so bad that they can no longer operate normally and conduct proper academic research.

Sixty-two of them are outside the capital. South Chungcheong Province had the most failing universities with nine, followed by North Chungcheong Province (eight), North Gyeongsang Province (eight) and South Gyeongsang Province (six). Ninety-four of them are private universities that need to make a profit.

"Unlike the past, when corruption and nepotism were the main causes of problems at universities, population and social changes have emerged as the main reason for the increase in failing universities," the report said.

It added that the trend will only get worse and advised the government to help them close by reimbursing some of the owners' investment.

Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dozens of Universities Have Trouble Recruiting Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Eighty-four private universities have problems recruiting new students, which means they could end up broke before their current students have graduated. Many more provincial universities are unable to meet their annual student quotas due to the declining population and student preference for Seoul.

# data[].attributes.headline
2021 Education at a Glance indicators on equal opportunities

# data[].attributes.subject
2021 Education at a Glance indicators on equal opportunities

# data[].attributes.body
OECD indicators and summary are a good point to start to look at the disparities in the cost of education in Korea. While not directly related to English language learning, it is likely to give us some introduction to the issues at hand.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
National level data often hide important regional inequalities in children's access and participation to education. In general, inequalities across regions tend to widen at non-compulsory levels of education. For example, in the majority of countries, the variation in enrolment rate of 3-5 year-olds is often greater than the variation among 6-14 year-olds. This is the case in Korea, where the enrolment rate of 3-5 year-olds varies from 86% in the region of Seoul to 99% in the region of Jeollabuk-do (although many 3-5 year-olds attend private institutions which are not covered under the ISCED classification) whereas the enrolment of 6-14 year-olds varies from 97% to 100% across regions. Similarly, the enrolment rate of 15-19 year-olds varies from 67% to 100% in Korea.

References

OECD (2021), Education at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en.

OECD (2021), "Regional education", OECD Regional Statistics (database), https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/213e806c-en (accessed on 27 July 2021).

OECD (2021), " The state of global education - 18 months into the pandemic", OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/1a23bb23-en.

For more information on Education at a Glance 2021 and to access the full set of Indicators, see: https://doi.org/10.1787/b35a14e5-en

For more information on the methodology used during the data collection for each indicator, the references to the sources and the specific notes for each country, see Annex 3 ( https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2021_Annex3.pdf).

For general information on the methodology, please refer to the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications ( https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en).

Updated data can be found on line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-data-en and by following the StatLinks 2under the tables and charts in the publication.

Data on subnational regions for selected indicators are available in the OECD Regional Statistics (database) (OECD, 2021). When interpreting the results on subnational entities, readers should take into account that the population size of subnational entities can vary widely within countries. For example, regional variation in enrolment may be influenced by students attending school in a different region from their area of residence, particularly at higher levels of education. Also, regional disparities tend to be higher when more subnational entities are used in the analysis.

Explore, compare and visualise more data and analysis using the Education GPS:
https://gpseducation.oecd.org/
The data on educational responses during COVID-19 were collected and processed by the OECD based on the Survey on Joint National Responses to COVID-19 School Closures, a collaborative effort conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); the World Bank; and the OECD.

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries.

This document, as well as any data and any map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.

The use of this work, whether digital or print, is governed by the terms and conditions to be found at www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/.

Metadata, Legal and Rights

This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Extracts from publications may be subject to additional disclaimers, which are set out in the complete version of the publication, available at the link provided.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
National level data often hide important regional inequalities in children's access and participation to education. In general, inequalities across regions tend to widen at non-compulsory levels of education. For example, in the majority of countries, the variation in enrolment rate of 3-5 year-olds is often greater than the variation among 6-14 year-olds.

# data[].attributes.headline
Private Education Expenditures Survey of Elementary, Middle and High School Students in 2021

# data[].attributes.subject
Private Education Expenditures Survey of Elementary, Middle and High School Students in 2021

# data[].attributes.body
More than any other subject in private education, English is the subject which families invest in the most. This summary report explores some of the data involved. Please share your reflections in the comments below.