Private education is flourishing in North Korea, with tutoring now available not just in traditional subjects like foreign languages, music, and art, but even in digital technology skills.
A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK recently that private tutoring has become so widespread that virtually every middle and high school student in North Korea’s major cities now works with a private instructor.
After completing their regular classes, North Korean students traditionally gather in small group sessions for supplementary lessons in subjects like music, art, and physical education. These government-sanctioned sessions are in high demand, with limited spots typically requiring both connections and money to secure.
However, parents have grown increasingly dissatisfied with these official small group lessons, citing mediocre instruction quality and teachers who often lack enthusiasm for their work.
In recent years, this dissatisfaction has driven more parents toward private tutoring, which offers greater flexibility in both curriculum and scheduling than the government-run alternatives. Families who can afford it often arrange multiple private lessons for their children.
The range of subjects available through private tutoring in North Korea continues to expand. Beyond traditional offerings like English, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese language instruction, parents can now find tutors for voice training, musical instruments, calligraphy, public speaking, and computer skills.
One particularly popular category of private instruction emerging in North Korea focuses on “new technology.” These sessions teach students how to both use and repair electronic devices – a direct response to the growing prevalence of computers, laptops, and mobile phones throughout the country.
“Parents are investing in private lessons to improve their children’s future job prospects,” the source explained. “The thinking is that skills like calligraphy might lead to work writing posters for news or propaganda slogans – positions that are far preferable to manual labor.”
While tutoring costs vary by subject, a typical course ranges from 400,000 to 800,000 North Korean won (approximately $20-40) – roughly equivalent to a family’s entire monthly food budget. Nevertheless, the source reports that parents are willingly going into debt to provide these educational opportunities.
“There’s a growing sentiment among parents that relying solely on public education will condemn their children to lives of menial work,” the source said. “They’re doing whatever it takes to hire tutors who can teach their children the skills needed for a more comfortable future.”
March 05, 2025 at 12:00PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)