Many North Korean middle school students are frustrated because they have to bring computers to their IT classes, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Friday that middle schools “hold IT classes two or three times a week, but students have to bring their own personal computers to class, so they hate going to school on those days.”
In fact, only about one in three students bring their own computers. Classes suffer as students lose focus and teachers teach theory without using computers. Students find this meaningless and become frustrated.
IT classes have recently become mandatory in North Korean schools as part of so-called modern education. But the level of student participation depends largely on whether they own computers, the source said.
“Now people think that students need to have their own computers when they enter middle school,” he said. “Schools want to provide desktop computers that can be shared, but such computers are woefully few and far between, so students with and without computers sit next to each other in IT classes.”
Parents feel guilty for not being able to buy computers for their children when they are struggling to put food on the table, the source said.
For example, a woman in Sinuiju with a child in middle school said that her child “tries to avoid going to school on days when she has to learn computer skills.” She said, “She can see what’s going on by sitting with a student with a computer, but on some days they have to sit together in groups of three, so it’s uncomfortable, and people look down on you, so she hates going to school. I want to buy her a computer, but they cost so much I can’t even dream of it. It’s frustrating.”
The situation is the same in Hyesan, Yanggang Province.
“You need at least about KPW 2.8 million to buy a computer, but parents can’t buy them because they’re struggling,” said a source in the province. “Some parents borrow computers from relatives or friends so their children won’t feel intimidated, but you can only do that once or twice. You can’t do it often.”
“Students really want to learn computers, but since they don’t really have them, they hate going to computer class,” the source said. “As long as the state refuses to solve the computer problem, it will only hurt students and make parents unhappy. So the government urgently needs to take realistic measures to solve the problem.”
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June 04, 2024 at 01:00PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)