"Night School" that helps students with learning. Seoul Saebyeol School...What's the real difficulty?

■ Host: Anchor Lee Hyun-woong
■ Starring: Cho Soo-hyun, principal of Seoul Saebyul School

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN Newswide] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Not long ago, YTN delivered the graduation ceremonies of students who passed the GED. All the teachers who help the students study are volunteer college students and office workers who are new to society. I will connect you to Principal Cho Soo-hyun, a teacher at Seoul Saebyul School, to see if there are any difficulties in running the night school. Hello, teacher.

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Hello, nice to meet you.

[Anchor]
My principal is also a college student, right?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
I am in the 4th grade.

[Anchor]
From what grade have you been together?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
I have been doing activities at Seoul Saebyeol School since I was a freshman.

[Anchor]
You've been with us throughout your college life, and I think the 4th grade will be the busiest and most difficult time, but you'll be very busy because you're in charge of night school and principal.

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Since it's 4 years, I have to prepare for employment and graduation, so it's a busy time, but I think it's hard to let go because I've been attached to it since a long time ago.

[Anchor]
Seoul Saebyul School recently held a graduation ceremony. From the perspective of Manchurian students, it will not be easy to pass the GED. What is the acceptance rate?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
In the past seven years, including the predecessor of Seoul Saebyul School, more than 120 students have passed the GED have been produced. This year, seven out of about 20 applicants passed the GED. In fact, there are few cases of passing all subjects of the GED for the first time in this school. This is because long-term repetitive learning is essential for senior students.

[Anchor]
Is there anyone who graduated and took the CSAT?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Some are preparing to enter the Korea Communications University, and others have taken the CSAT as a light test.

[Anchor]
I wonder what kind of people study at Seoul Saebyeol School and what is the current number of students and class composition?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Seoul Saebyeol School consists of Korean language class, Korean language class, and elementary, middle and high school qualification exam preparation class. Various age groups, from out-of-school teenagers to senior students, are studying together in one classroom. This school is a non-profit educational institution for the underprivileged, and has recently expanded the scope of educational donations to not only the elderly and out-of-school youth, but also marriage migrant women, migrant workers, children from multicultural families, and refugees.

[Anchor]
Then is there a separate class that teaches Korean?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
The Korean class and the Korean class are organized separately.

[Anchor]
There is a Korean class and a Korean language class. Since Seoul Saebyeol School is a night school, I think the class will be held late, so what is it specifically?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Middle and high classes are taught every day from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Korean language classes, Korean language classes, and elementary classes are taught every Saturday from 3 to 7.

[Anchor]
You just told me about the composition of the target students, can anyone who wants to continue their studies be admitted?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
We are always recruiting. Therefore, you can enter the middle of the semester. We don't want students who want to learn to feel frustrated that they missed the academic period once again, so we operate all curriculums as regular recruitment. Since the GED exam is held in April and August every year, we are paying particular attention to adjusting the difficulty of classes and allocating homeroom teachers in consideration of the academic achievement of students who wish to enter the middle school.

[Anchor]
He told me that he hopes I don't feel frustrated that I missed the period of my studies once again. I'm also curious about the qualifications to apply for night school. Are there any other conditions such as age restrictions or application conditions that only Koreans can do?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Anyone who is willing to learn can enter. Age, nationality, age, gender are totally irrelevant. Seniors who don't know how to write and foreigners who want to learn Korean are all welcome. All tuition fees and textbooks are provided free of charge.

[Anchor]
Since you said you've been active since you were a freshman, are there any students that you remember the most?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
An elderly man who has lived his whole life without knowing anything about writing came to us. When he was a child, he told the story with tears that he couldn't even come to the elementary school due to poor families. This student studied Korean at the Korean language class at the Seoul Saebyeol School and learned Korean fully for about six months. So he was very happy that he was able to write his grandson's name in Korean recently. I remember feeling very proud as a teacher when I heard that I could read the street signs on my own and check the subway station on my own. It is said that the elderly's new goal is to study steadily at the Seoul Sabyeol School and obtain an elementary school education. Our teachers try to walk in line with that learning step.

[Anchor]
I'm also curious about the teachers who teach. Is it mostly made up of college students?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
I am also a college student who graduated from the GED. A few years ago, I felt a lot of barriers while preparing for college alone. As a college student, I wanted to help society based on my abilities, so I started education service for the GED right after college entrance in 2021, and three years ago, I established Seoul Saebyul School myself.
Like me, all teachers in this school are college students and office workers who voluntarily work to resolve educational inequality. So, everyone is hearing feedback that it may not be easy to do both study and work life and volunteer work, but it is rewarding every moment and continues to work steadily.

[Anchor]
From what I hear, our teachers are unpaid, right?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
They are all unpaid volunteers.

[Anchor]
I'm literally teaching from my heart, but I think there should be a lot of teachers because there are a lot of subjects in the class. How many teachers are there?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
There are around 40 teachers who are active in one semester. Many teachers are helping us to handle classes and various administrative tasks that run from Monday to Saturday every week.

[Anchor]
I don't think it's going to be easy to teach. Do you have any special know-how in preparing for the GED?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
We are trying to sympathize with the situation and difficulties of our students who start studying again with difficulty and try to teach as much as possible from the perspective of the students. In addition, like regular schools, we have organized departments such as the school affairs department, the student department, and the administration to have an organizational system. We are also working hard to improve the quality of education by organizing events such as teacher councils, teacher research classes, and workshops. In addition, in consideration of the blind students, we newly produce and distribute free textbooks for all subjects in large letters every year. In addition, it is not only focusing on the GED, but also on literacy and cultural polarization. We help students no longer fear reading and writing by cultivating senior literacy and helping married migrant women settle in Korean society through Korean and Korean language education. In addition, by providing free cultural life opportunities such as museum, workshop experience, and theater viewing, we are trying to make sure that our students can confidently talk about the cultural life they have experienced in addition to their studies.

[Anchor]
Since it's a night school created by college students, I don't think I can just do teaching. How do you pay for operating expenses such as renting or making textbooks?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Our school's finances are funded by subsidies, donations, and voluntary funds raised by teachers. In addition, transparent fund management is a principle to secure fiscal soundness. As a result, it can be explained that there are many incidental administrative tasks that inevitably occur. I am very grateful for the support of various public and private partners to provide quality education to more students.

[Anchor]
Principal Cho Soo-hyun also said that he is a senior at the university. Since most of the teachers are studying at the same time, we should prepare for employment and after graduation. I'm sure you're thinking about how to continue Saebyeol School.

[Cho Soo-hyun]
As a senior, I am currently preparing for graduation and employment at the same time. Even after graduating from university, the activities of Seoul Saebyeol School will continue steadily in the future. We are constantly updating data on the overall school operation in case we cannot serve in person one day. There are a lot of teachers at our Seoul Saebyul School who have a deep affection for the school and serve for many years. I think that their dedication and participation are an important foundation for the continuation of school management and I am always grateful.

[Anchor]
There must be a lot of difficulties, but if I also want to be a teacher, how can I apply?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
They work at Saebyeol School and all the teachers are unpaid volunteers. Therefore, we post job postings every January and July through our official website and social media. Anyone who can give a warm hand to those who need to learn through our educational donation activities is welcome. In addition, it gives me learning as a teacher, but I can explain that it is a classroom where I also learn the wisdom of life and the size of the world through students from various backgrounds.

[Anchor]
As a principal and a volunteer, do you have any plans or wishes for the operation of Seoul Saebyeol School?

[Cho Soo-hyun]
Next year, the establishment of the Seoul Saebyeol School will enter its fifth year of volunteer work and the third year of establishment. I feel rewarded that my feeble movements can motivate someone to live in the second act of life. I want to be a ladder that can provide more people with learning opportunities. As a principal, we plan to work harder to provide teachers with a quality service environment and infrastructure to provide excellent education to students.

[Anchor]
Thank you. That's all for today. It was Cho Soo-hyun, principal of Seoul Saebyul School. Thank you.