STUDENTS STRESSED BY PRIVATE TUTORING

[Anchor Lead]

With students unable to attend face-to-face classes at schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent study has shown that the percentage of students taking private lessons has risen. As the average time spent on receiving education and studying at school keeps decreasing, they're now spending more time receiving private lessons. It was also found that private tutoring now accounts for about half of after-school activities.

[Pkg]

A survey shows schoolchildren spend less time studying these days, but the percentage of students taking private lessons has risen. A Statistics Korea report on the quality of life of children and adolescents in 2022 shows the percentage of students receiving private tutoring temporarily decreased during the pandemic, but surpassed 70 percent last year. The number was on the decline after recording 77 percent in 2007, but rebounded recently. Private tutoring now accounts for about half of after-school activities. By contrast, the average time spent on receiving education and studying at school keeps decreasing. For the first time in five years it was down by more than ten minutes among elementary and middle school students, while high school students now spend more then an hour less on studying at school. The survey has also revealed that schoolchildren are feeling more psychological pressure. Stress levels among middle and high school students declined in 2020 when school classes were conducted online due to the pandemic. But last year they rose more than four percentage points to approach 40 percent. This means about four out of ten students are stressed because of studying.

[Soundbite] Ryu Jung-hee(Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs) : "Academic stress is the primary cause of depression and anxiety in Korean children. Relationships with family members also play a part."

The suicide rate among children aged 17 and younger recorded 2.7 per 100,000 people last year, the highest since 2000. The rate has nearly doubled in the past six years.