North Korea recently held its 15th National Teachers’ Congress and touted “world-class education,” but people in rural areas remain skeptical that real improvement will follow, given persistent shortages of teachers and equipment and outdated school facilities.
A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK on Monday that central government authorities have issued directives following the congress calling on teachers to raise their qualifications and improve the quality of education. However, the source said, people are questioning whether education quality can genuinely improve given the current state of poor educational conditions.
Schools in rural areas outside Sinuiju are reportedly struggling with a shortage of teachers, a lack of educational equipment and deteriorating facilities.
As a result, people in the area are said to be more interested in how the education environment at actual schools will improve after the congress than in the content of the speeches or slogans presented at the event.
People want tangible change, not rhetoric
The source said what people care most about after hearing news of the teachers’ congress is not what the party said but how their own children’s schools will actually change. Whether there is enough educational equipment, whether school buildings are properly repaired and whether there is a shortage of teachers are described as more pressing, tangible concerns for people than the substance of the congress itself.
People also broadly agree that given the wide gap in education levels between urban and rural areas, improving educational conditions in rural areas is the most important step toward raising rural education standards overall.
Although the congress reportedly addressed methodological issues aimed at decisively narrowing the gap between urban and rural education levels, skepticism prevails over whether this will translate into real change at rural schools, according to the source.
“Even though a lot of good things were said at this congress, it will take a long time for schools in rural areas to actually see change,” the source said. “People are saying they need to watch and see what measures follow at the school level, and how much enthusiasm the state actually shows for improving education conditions at rural schools.”
According to Rodong Sinmun, the 15th National Teachers’ Congress was held in Pyongyang on Sept. 2 and 3. The congress was organized to analyze and review the implementation of education policy over the past seven years since the 14th National Teachers’ Congress and to discuss practical issues for achieving a new qualitative development in education.
The congress was attended by model educators from across the country, education officials from central and local government, officials from related agencies, and a delegation of educators from the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, known as Chongryon, a pro-Pyongyang organization representing ethnic Koreans living in Japan.
Kim Jong Un attended the congress and delivered a speech, stating that it is “our party’s ideal and will” to make North Korea’s education system “the best education that everyone envies and wants to receive” and “world-class education that powerfully drives the prosperity of the fatherland.” He called on teachers to fulfill their role in achieving this goal.
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September 15, 2026 at 07:31PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)