Jen In Korea: The Late Dismissal

The other day, I walked by a high school and happened to see the kids coming out. Everything was normal except for one thing – it was 10 o’clock at night. Korean high school has a really long school day. The kids start between 8am and 9am but they don’t get out until at least 8pm. From what I understand, the start and end time vary by school but the school day ends up being 12 – 14 hours a day across the country.

I read that the extra long day is caused by YAJA. This is an acronym for a Korean phrase and it’s the name of special self-study time that Korean high school students participate in. I watched a video on YouTube and, after they ate dinner at school, the kids went to a large room with little carrel desks to study for a few hours before they went home.

Korean high school looks really intense. I once read that there’s a saying here that says something like “If you sleep more than four hours a night during high school, you’re not getting into a university.” I believe it. The competition is incredibly stiff. I was considered a good student in high school but I think in Korean high school, I’d have been considered mediocre.