Education authorities in North Korea’s North Hamgyong province have ordered teachers to compete in a “multilingual contest” in 2026. Teachers in Chongjin say it is really an English contest that has them cramming vocabulary and conversation scripts, and complain the state keeps adding to their crushing workload while doing nothing to improve their pay and living conditions.
Schools in Chongjin’s Pohang district will hold a multilingual contest for teachers on Nov. 15, a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Monday. Schools across the district have already launched intensive preparations ahead of the event.
The North Hamgyong provincial education bureau set the push in motion on Oct. 15, according to the source. It stressed the need to raise teaching standards and named multilingual ability as a basic skill every teacher should have. Cities, counties and districts across the province then began organizing contests for their teaching staff.
The contest is the latest in a string of education reforms under Kim Jong Un’s government. These have included research-based teaching methods and a new elective subject system in senior middle schools. Pyongyang has also ordered a shift toward practical, hands-on instruction, though many classrooms lack the equipment it requires.
Determined not to fall behind, schools in Pohang district are now pressing teachers hard to study foreign languages. Some have ordered staff to gather in the teachers’ room and study English during the morning reading session. Others have made English teachers responsible for tutoring colleagues who teach other subjects.
The morning reading session is a daily gathering at North Korean workplaces and schools. Staff read aloud and discuss articles from the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
The problem is that most schools have only one or two English teachers on staff. Already stretched by their own classes and contest preparation, they are now overloaded with coaching their colleagues as well, according to the source. Teachers of other subjects, who rarely have any reason to use English, also say the sudden push has put them under heavy strain.
“It’s called a multilingual contest, but in reality it’s no different from an English conversation contest,” the source said. “Teachers of general subjects ask when they would ever use English, and they worry because it’s been ages since they even recited their ABCs.”
“One junior middle school had every teacher memorize 100 English words and handed out conversation sheets the English teachers prepared,” the source added. “But teachers are complaining, asking when they’re supposed to memorize all those words and sentences on top of their work.”
Under North Korea’s 12-year compulsory education system, students attend junior middle school for three years after primary school. It is roughly the equivalent of middle school in South Korea.
Principals coax and pressure teachers ahead of English contest
Aware of the growing discontent, school principals have alternately coaxed and prodded their staff, according to the source. Some principals tell teachers they can prepare well enough by setting aside a little time each day. Others ask whether teachers could spare just 30 minutes of the energy they spend lining their own pockets.
The jab points to a well-known reality in North Korea, where state salaries are far too small to live on. Many teachers rely on side businesses or gifts from parents to get by, and financial strain has driven some out of the profession in recent years.
Some teachers have turned their frustration on the principals themselves, saying those who demand study should be the first to enter the contest. Others have gone so far as to say they would rather quit teaching altogether.
Only a handful of senior teachers or those with influence at their schools are complaining openly, however, the source said. Most teachers lack the money or experience to start trading in the markets and have few other ways to make a living. They keep their grievances to themselves and throw themselves into contest preparation.
Teachers are especially bitter that the authorities’ demands keep growing while their own conditions never improve. Preparing lessons, writing lesson plans and making teaching aids already filled their days before the new language requirement arrived. North Korean teachers face similar pressure even during school vacations, when training courses often leave them busier than during the school year.
“The state says it gives teachers preferential treatment, but nothing about their lives actually gets better,” the source said. “It does nothing to improve their conditions while piling on demands in the name of strengthening education, so teachers have no choice but to complain.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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October 30, 2026 at 06:02AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)