Welcome to BASE21

20,000 teachers of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union(KTEWU), students and activists gathered in Yeoido on 27th October, to protest against the government's 7th Curriculum Reform Scheme, the adoption of performance-based wages for teachers and increased funding to private high schools. This is the second time that the teachers have taken to the streets last month.

The government is planning to change the wage structure of teachers to 'enhance the quality of teachers through competitiveness', increase contract and part-time employment of teachers, promote private schools for the 'expansion of elite education', employ middle school teachers to primary schools to fill the shortage of primary school teachers, and reform the present curriculum.

But the teachers of KTEWU are fighting against the overall government plans on the basis that the measures will only aggravate commercialization of education by implanting market values into public education. The teachers and activists are viewing this change as the sacrifice of public education brought on by neo-liberalism. Indeed, the ideology behind the government plan is to liberalize the education market. It indiscriminately uses the terms 'education products' and 'education consumers', while arguing that competition and economic efficiency will enable 'consumers' to have a wider range of 'product choice'. The government is adopting 'consumer rights' as the main idea of education. One official from the Ministry of Education said "what's wrong with policies that satisfy the different desires of consumers instead of pushing homogenous education?"

One activist commented that "neo-liberalism enjoys the destruction of education. Even if education is destroyed and public education becomes an impossibility, they (the ruling elite) will not give a damn. Public education will become a complete mess, but they will be able to obtain the necessary manpower needed through elite education. The remaining 80% of the population need not receive a proper education. They just need to be prepared to consume the commercial products thrown to them in this capitalist society."

The phenomenon of a society of '20 to 80' is now spreading to itself to the realm of public education. Education is to become a commodity that should be traded according to 'free market' principles. Thus, neo-liberalism seeks to decrease overall budget to public education while promoting elite education for the nurturing of a handful of professionals that are needed to run the neo-liberal society. Promoting private schools will also benefit private foundations and invite corporations to enter the education market. The education market is expected to become a high-profit industry, especially in a country where 'education-fever' is extremely high. The fact that education reform polices are being introduced together with measures to heighten flexibility of teachers' labour supply and wages only acts to identify more clearly the intentions of the government.

The education reform package that throws education into the hands of 'free market' will only deteriorate the quality of public education, as can be seen in the public education 'crises' in developed countries. It will also undermine the rights of ordinary people and their children to a affordable but decent education. While the selected few undergo elite education for the reproduction of the ruling elite in this age of globalization and information, the rest will fall behind. The package will also pave the way for Korea to open its 'education market' to global capital, as the WTO is so anxious to do through its services agreement. The very basic human needs and rights will be placed under vulnerability of exploitation.

The KTEWU, established in 1989, is famous for its militancy despite repression from the government and had relentlessly continued their struggles throughout the last decade, for recognition of their union, a pedagogy based on equality, and protection of public education. The union was finally recognized in 1999, and now they face another major struggle to challenge the neo-liberal education policies of the Kim Dae-Jung government. The union has vowed to implement an all-out struggle during the coming months, including a strike. It is vital for teachers, students and activists to form a strong solidarity against this education reform scheme and join forces with other various groups also fighting against neo-liberal globalization. A broad solidarity especially important in the upcoming months, as the union of university professors and also union for low-rank government workers are each preparing to take off. It has become increasingly impending for activists to protect, on a national level, public services among other things from becoming fodder for capitalists, while joining in the fight against neo-liberal globalization internationally. [PICIS]