뉴스레터

  “The Compilation Project of Japanese Invasion History” was planned by the Northeast Asian History Foundation to systematically study and synthesize the status of Japanese imperialism’s invasion and colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula and publish it as a series. It is composed of a data series, a research series, and a general education series, and academic experts participate in the writing by dividing it into politics, economy, society, and culture. In “The Japanese Invasion History Series,” one of the series of published Japanese Invasion History is selected and introduced.

Modern school education system conceived by Japan

In the process of modernization, Japan created a school education system that connects elementary school, middle school, high school, and university. Each school was structured in a hierarchy as blatant as the poor imagination of its name. In order to identify suitable candidates for admission to upper schools with college as the highest peak, a series of structures were created to compete by producing more reserve resources from lower schools. However, the school system designed by the main purpose of selecting talented people from above inevitably leads to the alienation of the vast majority, who wish to receive education, from the educational system. In other words, a gap arises between the national education demand and individual education needs.

Formation of the colonial secondary education system

In Joseon, where Japan's school education system was transplanted, the contradiction of secondary education policy was forced to stand out even more due to the colonial situation. The early colonial education policy did not consider higher education such as university at all. This is because, if higher education is aimed at cultivating elites necessary for state management, there was no need to establish higher educational institutions such as universities in colonial Joseon, which lost its independent status as a nation. However, it was necessary for the colonial authorities to accept some of the Koreans’ demand for education and to select those who would cooperate with Japan’s colonial rule. In the end, a school system similar to Japan was introduced in colonial Joseon, but secondary education in Joseon developed completely different from Japan, due to extremely limited educational opportunities.

  First, education culture centered on entrance exams

In the colonial education policy, secondary level general education for Koreans was suppressed. Until the end of the 1930s, only one middle school(high school) for Korean men could be established in each province. Even after passing through such a narrow gate, they had to compete more fiercely in order to advance to higher schools. However, at the time, success in entering a higher school was not only an honor for the individual student, but was often regarded as an honor for the school and the region. The social reputation and rank of the school were determined according to the number of students entering the higher school. Due to these conditions, the competition for entrance examinations intensified, and it also resulted in social acceptance of schools to operate crippled curricula centered on entrance exams.

  Second, good wife and wise mother education for women

For colonial education authorities, education policies targeting women were always secondary. The enrollment rate of women in elementary education was generally half that of men, and until the 1930s, the majority of provinces had no public girls’ schools(girls’ high schools). However, at that time, the social perception of the expansion of women’s secondary education was not so favorable even in the Korean society. With the polluted image of new women through sensational media and the purpose of women’s education becoming fixed as a good wife and wise mother curriculum, some in society considered girls’ schools as nothing more than a training center for brides. In Joseon society at that time, women’s social activities were extremely limited. As a result, the policy to expand secondary girls’ education had to be pushed to the bottom of the list.    

  Third, skill-oriented vocational education

While suppressing general education at the secondary level, the colonial authorities always placed emphasis on vocational education. The Joseon people’s request for the expansion of secondary general education was very oppressive; instead, only business schools such as agricultural, commercial, fisheries, industrial, and vocational schools were allowed to be established. Since the purpose of education at these vocational schools was to nurture those who would directly engage in the field after graduation, the curriculum was operated with a practical focus on acquiring low-level skills. However, in a situation where secondary education opportunities were very limited at the time, Koreans had to go through fierce competition to enter these vocational secondary schools. This was because even after graduating from a business school, he could enjoy a high social status in the Korean society at the time.