[The Korea Times] Korea’s education stuck in industrialization era

 

Korea stands among the world’s frontrunners in the move to adopt artificial intelligence (AI), yet its university entrance exam still reflects the logic of the industrialization era. At this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), more than half a million students underwent a single day of exams that would determine their future. As both a mother of a high school senior and the head of a global communications firm partnering with OpenAI, GitHub, Zoom and Databricks, I witness daily how AI and data reshape decision-making, collaboration and productivity. The gap between that reality and classrooms bound by 20th-century logic is striking. While industries have redefined efficiency through generative AI, our education and admissions systems remain stuck in the grammar of the 1990s.

 

Education today is no longer a technological issue but a philosophical one. In an age where AI performs calculation and recall, the CSAT still rewards manual speed and accuracy. Machines can generate answers, but only humans can define problems, interpret meaning and design solutions. As the unit of progress shifts from technology to thinking, education must evolve — or risk producing talent rooted in the past.

 

First, students need greater freedom to choose what they study. In the U.K., A-level students select three or four subjects aligned with their interests and career goals and study them in depth for two years. Australia’s Higher School Certificate requires only English; France’s Baccalaureat keeps philosophy and oral exams common but allows two majors of the student’s choice. Korea, by contrast, fixes Korean, English and mathematics for nearly everyone, forcing all students toward the average. In the AI era, competitiveness comes from depth, not breadth. Academic choice is not a privilege; it is a basic right to design one’s future.

 

Second, the CSAT should move away from its “one-day marathon” format. The U.K., France and Australia distribute national exams over two to three weeks, enabling students to perform at their best rhythm and readiness. Such scheduling is not just a matter of convenience but a reflection of educational philosophy. Korea’s single-day CSAT — five sessions back-to-back — leaves no room for recovery or reflection.

 

Third, mathematics education and assessment must evolve to reflect how knowledge is actually used. The U.K. assumes calculators are part of testing and evaluates reasoning instead. Australia allows CAS (computer algebra system) calculators, France uses “exam mode” devices, and the digital SAT in the U.S. provides a built-in graphing calculator. Only Korea continues to ban such tools, demanding hand calculation. It is time to let machines handle arithmetic and allow humans to focus on modeling, interpretation and application. Mathematics should move from rote procedure to a language of thought that connects abstract logic with real-world meaning.

 

If the government truly aims to make AI a national growth pillar, education must be part of that vision. When I work with tech leaders such as OpenAI, GitHub, ASML, TSMC and Supermicro, I see how data translates into productivity and competitiveness. The capacity that matters most is defining the right question rather than finding the right answer. Yet our classrooms reward speed and precision over curiosity and insight. The one-size-fits-all mass education model born of the industrialization era cannot cultivate the problem-solvers needed in a data-driven economy.

 

As someone who took the same exam three decades ago, and now as a mother, I feel both uneasy and responsible. In the age of AI, we can no longer test humans as if they were machines. Reforming how we teach and evaluate learning is an ethical duty to the next generation. If we fail to act, we will again confine our youth to outdated molds. But if we dare to change, today’s students — who are enduring this system with quiet determination — may become the generation that redefines what learning means in the AI age.

 

Dr. Kelly Kwon is general manager of the Hoffman Agency, Korea.