In this blog post, we will examine how mandatory evening self-study affects students’ right to health, autonomy, and right to education, and explore why it should be transitioned to a voluntary system.
Evening self-study, as the name implies, should be a form of self-directed learning that students choose to participate in voluntarily. However, there are still cases where some schools operate this program in a de facto mandatory manner. Surveys of students conducted in various regions in the past have also shown that a significant number of students reported that evening self-study was enforced, and that they experienced pressure—such as penalties for non-attendance or parent-teacher conferences—if they did not participate. These cases demonstrate that evening self-study, which should be voluntary, has at times been operated contrary to its original intent. Compulsory evening self-directed study can restrict students’ rights to sleep, health, and leisure, and is an issue closely tied to their fundamental human rights. Therefore, evening self-directed study must be operated strictly based on students’ voluntary choice, and compulsory practices should be avoided.
The first reason why compulsory evening self-directed study must be abolished is that it is directly linked to students’ physical health. Above all, this raises the issue of students’ right to sleep not being sufficiently guaranteed. Research consistently shows that the sleep duration of middle and high school students in South Korea falls short of international recommendations. Due to early school start times and late dismissal, coupled with schedules filled with cram school and homework, it is not uncommon for students to go to bed after midnight. While the recommended sleep duration for adolescents is generally 8 to 10 hours, their actual sleep duration often falls significantly short of this. Sleep deprivation can cause various problems, including increased stress, reduced concentration, decreased learning efficiency, feelings of depression, and impaired physical growth. Therefore, a system that forces students to stay at school until late at night can hardly be considered an educational environment that prioritizes students’ health.
Furthermore, students’ right to health may also be compromised by mandatory late-night self-study sessions. Generally, when people maintain a controlled lifestyle in the same space for extended periods, their daily rhythms can be disrupted, and physical and mental fatigue can accumulate. Many high school students arrive at school early in the morning and remain there until late at night, spending most of their day in the same school environment. If this routine is repeated over a long period, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient rest, exercise, and leisure activities, which may have a negative impact on their health. Students’ health is a fundamental right that must be prioritized over academic achievement.
The second reason is that it can negatively impact students’ mental health and self-directed growth. When nighttime self-directed study is mandatory, students find it difficult to secure time to explore their career paths or gain diverse experiences. When the routine of studying at school late into the night becomes repetitive, students often become absorbed solely in college entrance exam-focused studying rather than exploring their aptitudes and interests. Furthermore, they may lack the time to enjoy sports or cultural activities or to relieve stress. If evening self-directed study were based on student choice, students could explore their aptitudes and career paths more deeply through various activities and manage mental stress in a healthier way.
On the other hand, there are concerns that if mandatory evening self-directed study were abolished, students would stop studying. However, effective learning ultimately requires the student’s own will and motivation. It is difficult to conclude that simply keeping students at school longer will improve learning outcomes. Placing responsibility for their own learning on students can actually help foster self-directed learning. In fact, concerns have consistently been raised that mandatory evening self-study makes it difficult for students to ask questions freely or study in a way that suits them. Since each student’s learning style and concentration levels differ, it is more desirable to allow them to choose learning methods that suit their individual characteristics and personalities rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all learning environment.
Furthermore, some argue that evening self-study helps reduce private tutoring expenses. However, past surveys have shown that a significant number of students continue to attend late-night cram schools or receive separate private tutoring on weekends even after evening self-study sessions.
Furthermore, satisfaction with mandatory evening self-study was low among both students and parents, and there was little positive evaluation of its effectiveness in reducing private tutoring expenses. In particular, a majority of students responded that, if given autonomy, they would prefer to study independently at home, in libraries, or in study rooms rather than rely on private tutoring centers. These results suggest that it is difficult to conclude that mandatory evening self-study necessarily leads to a reduction in private tutoring expenses.
Today, unlike in the past, many schools in South Korea have shifted toward operating evening self-directed study on a voluntary basis or abolishing it altogether. Education should be conducted in a way that respects students’ autonomy and diversity. It is also desirable for evening self-directed study programs to fully reflect students’ opinions and be organized primarily for those who wish to participate. Schools should provide students with the opportunity to choose whether to participate and create an educational environment that respects individual circumstances and learning styles. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach, schools should respect each student’s unique characteristics and learning methods, and play a supportive role in helping them develop the ability to plan and carry out their own self-directed learning.
