Happiness has become a new keyword of statecraft since President Park Geun-hye took office in February. The goal holds relevance especially for the younger generation facing cutthroat competition in schools and the job market. 

Moon Yong-lin, Seoul education chief, is at the forefront of efforts to boost the well-being of youth by enhancing career education and easing the burden of school tests.

“Providing better career education is my goal. Career guidance for young people is crucial for nourishing the dreams of the next generation,” Moon said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

On Thursday, Moon marks his first 100 days as superintendent of education for one of the world’s largest school districts with a budget of over $6.6 billon.

He said the current education system failed to provide the kind of career education that young jobseekers needed.

Korea has the highest high school completion rate and some 82 percent of high school graduates go on to tertiary education, more than in any other advanced economy.

Yet, while the overall unemployment rate went down from a year earlier, that of youth, aged 15-29, increased in 2012 to 8 percent from 7.3 percent a year before.

“Career education is not just about finding jobs for young people when they leave. It’s more about realizing potential and nourishing their dreams,” he said.

Moon plans to have middle school students spend a year without tests and have to an evaluation process to focus on career planning.

The core concept of career education is the belief that happiness in life depends not on one’s educational background or job title, but the ability to develop and maintain positive emotions, according to Moon.

“Korean students don’t really have time to be happy because of all the pressure to get good grades, get into a good university, get a fine job and then make good money,” he said.

“People think if you study hard it will naturally bring happiness. We know it’s not always the case, but unfortunately in our current education paradigm we push all (our students) to study hard.”

Moon, as part of his career education reform, has picked 11 middle schools to allow first-year students to focus on identifying aptitude without the pressure of assessment tests.

He has also dispatched 667 career consultants to provide better advice for students and is planning to introduce eight new youth employment training centers this year.

But he has already faced criticism after scrapping tests for middle schoolers as some question whether his no-test policy may hamper their academic competitiveness.

He reiterated, however, that it was more crucial to “find their abilities than to study math and English,” especially in students’ early years.

Moon said he believed vocational education should not be viewed as less important than academic subjects, but enjoy equal status as an alternative option for non-academic youngsters.

To develop that view, he said, the government should develop competency standards which detail what a person needs to know and do for optimal performance in particular jobs.

Moon pointed to the National Competency Standards in the U.K. as one example.

“(The British) government recognizes technical or professional competence of individuals, and through the NCS system one can be recognized as the nation’s best hairdresser or welder and so on.”

Moon, who served as special adviser to President Park before she was elected, noted that Park’s administration was also looking to develop a similar national competency standards model.

Career education and guidance need to be embedded at the heart of schooling, but schools cannot do everything, he said. “There is also a significant role for parents,” he added.

Most Korean parents share a firm belief that their children will be better off graduating from top universities, he noted.

“It is because the parents neglect the fact that studying is also a type of talent. Some do excel in study, but some don’t,” he said.

He noted that in order to accomplish the true meaning of “happy education,” parents need to help their children find and develop their interests.

“To make our children happy, parents should find what they like best and what they do best,” Moon said, speaking from experience.

His son is currently majoring in physical education at a local university and hoping to become a PE teacher. Moon admitted that at first he was against his son teaching physical education.

“When he first said he wanted teach at a middle school I said ‘no.’ And I told him to have a bigger dream such as teaching at a university,” he recalled.

But Moon has now changed his mind and decided to support his son’s decision ― “because that’s what he wants to do, and what will eventually make him happy in life,” he said.

His vision for happy education seems to stem from his substantial experience and expertise in teaching.

Moon worked as a professor of educational psychology at Seoul National University for more than 20 years from 1989. He also served as minister of education in 2000. Prior to this, he served as member of the Presidential Commission for Education Reform.

He has also been influential in nongovernment organizations for the development of youth, including serving as president of the Korea Foundation for Youth Violence Prevention.

He finds his current job no easier than heading the Ministry of Education.

“It’s just different. But I think the role of superintendent of education has a more direct influence on schools,” Moon said.

That is why, he added, he plans to visit as many schools as possible during his term.

“I once met a teacher who told me that it was his first time actually meeting the superintendent in person during his 20 years of teaching. It really shocked me,” he said. Since then, Moon said, he has been visiting at least two different schools every week to see and hear more from the ground level.

He said he was thinking about the future, not the past, despite the fact that his subsequent work had significant impact on all levels of education.

“I’m focusing on my new role and setting up the basic foundation to help our children find and develop their talents at schools,” he added.

Moon Yong-lin

● Moon was elected superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in a by-election on Dec. 19, 2012.

● He graduated from Seoul National University with a bachelor’s degree in education and also earned his master’s from the school. He received his doctoral degree in educational psychology at the University of Minnesota in 1987.

● He worked as a professor of educational psychology at Seoul National University from 1989 to 2012 and served as minister of education in 2000.

● Previously, he served as the member of the Presidential Commission for Education Reform. He also headed the Korea Foundation for Youth Violence Prevention from 2003 to 2009.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)