The Interesting Facts about Education System in North Korea

VIVA – The education system in North Korea is fully controlled by the government. Education is compulsory for all citizens for 11 years up to the secondary level. In addition, the education system in North Korea is based on socialistic ideals. Classes focus on the Korean language, math, literature, and government.

Well, here are some interesting facts about the education system in North Korea.

1. Free education fees

All education in North Korea is free of charge. Children in North Korea will go through one year of kindergarten. Then, they continue their primary education at the People's School, from ages six to nine.

After that, they will enter the secondary school from the age of 10 to 16. In North Korea, after completing secondary education, men and women are required to join the military program for a dozen years. But if the student is talented, then they can be discharged from the military.

2. The literature read by North Korean students carefully censored

UNESCO says that North Korea is one of the most literate countries at 98-100%. However, for North Korean students, their literature lectures are heavily censored. Usually, the writing upholds socialism and Kim Il-sung's concern for literature.

For example, Lim Hwa-Won's "The Fifth Photograph" indoctrinates the mind with a story from the perspective of a woman who sees the "failure" of post-Soviet Russia in the 1990s due to western influence.

3. The curriculum in North Korean schools focuses on the Kims

A study by the Korea Institute for Curriculum Evaluation finds students spend 684 hours learning about the current leader Kim Jong-Un, his father Kim Jong-il, his grandfather Kim Il-sung and his grandmother Kim Jong-suk. North Korea states its education system is for “students to acquire the concept of revolution and endless loyalty toward the party and the supreme leader.”

4. Taught to hate the United States, Japan, and South Korea