South Korea has long been one of the few countries with a divided curriculum among affiliations. Our education prides our in-depth research focusing on two different fields of studies ̶ liberal arts and sciences. In this system, each student chooses autonomously which track they would like to take, and studies one field throughout their higher education (specifically starting from High School). This choice affects their career paths and life choices later on. The Korean Education board has always been confident on their theoretical foundation that all students have a compatible field of studies. Consequently students in Korea, ever since the Japanese colonial era, have been choosing their “competent” field ̶ whether it is studying intense mathematics as an Ee-gwa (Student of the Natural Sciences), or being a literary genius as a Moon-gwa (Student of Liberal Arts).

However, the development of education around the world has always been focused on integration ̶ whether it is between races, genders, or interrelated studies. And as the 21st century arose, Korea is now starting to realize the importance of communication between the natural sciences and liberal arts. Ever since, education that focuses on a wider range of studies instead of one particular field has been the core of all educational debate.

Since education in Korea has been divided explicitly (“natural science-based” students do not have obligation to take social studies, and “liberal arts-based” students are not mandated to take natural science and math) passive programs are in the need. Passive programs refer to education that does not divide student groups into two countering paths. The opposite term, active programs, may refer to teaching multiple subjects together, and creating a large cloud of mixed subjects. Active programs are mostly considered as the next step to passive programs, and tend to be less relevant to the status quo. Therefore, most people are referring to the passive program when discussing integrated studies in Korea. The major goal of integrated studies is to educate students who are capable of thinking logically with numbers as well and identifying with the characters in literature with a warm heart. This kind of education is called Convergence education, and it is the rising educational theory regarding the division and fusion of subjects.

The importance of such convergence education and convergence-oriented students can be seen through the individuals that businesses tend to favor. Many major corporations demand people who are capable of tasks that require multiple skills. Apple, the leading portable technology company, recently stated that the reason behind its success is due to being at the crossroad of technology and humanities. Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is famous for his quote “The only reason Apple was able to launch such revolutionary technology was because we didn’t focus merely on the technology, but on the understanding of people as well.” Not only this, Samsung recently made headlines by recruiting more than 1900 liberal-arts graduates as software expert trainees. Their rationale was based on the fact that quality mechanical innovation sprouts from a deeper understanding of humanity. Like this, major businesses are in need of people who have broader perspectives and a diversity of professions.

Following this worldwide trend, Korea has developed its own plan for a convergence-oriented education. In September 2014, the Korean National Board of Education devised a plan to make an integrated curriculum mandating all students to receive education that is both humanities-based and natural science-based. This program is set to start in 2018, and initiates changes in the entire foundation of education itself. Subjects that used to be divided into several specific fields, such as economics or Korean geography will be conflated into one subject, and all students will learn these integrated subjects. Science subjects are also targeted for the same changes. Also, the existing system where students could choose their examination subjects will change ̶ leaving all students to be evaluated based on the same field of studies.

Some educational experts are criticizing that these are unilateral changes that must be discussed thoroughly before being implemented into the system. Integrated learning is a big step, and may even change the roots of the education in Korea. However, we must not forget that although it is true that Korea has adhered to its divided curriculum for a long time, it is a blatant fact that nurturing new talents with both mechanical and humanities-based skills is inevitable. The students of the world must now be equipped with both intellects in order to successfully become leaders of their field. In order to keep in pace with the rapidly changing development of the world, we must now acknowledge the rise of the convergent.

By Eun-Jee Kim (DG reporter)