North Korea’s Ministry of Education recently conducted a nationwide review that exposed widespread problems at technical high schools, with most struggling to provide proper hands-on training due to outdated equipment and inadequate funding.
According to a Daily NK source in North Korea recently, the Ministry of Education review of major cities nationwide was conducted via videoconferencing over two days starting on July 30.
The review focused on classroom methodology and practical training at technical high schools that specialize in subjects tailored to regional industries, including metalworking, electrical engineering, clothing and cooking.
In some regions, expert teachers are deployed to technical high schools, enabling them to provide stable, specialized technical classes, but in most areas, ordinary teachers who have only completed a short-term vacation course simply read from textbooks, the review revealed.
Education at technical high schools should focus on practical training, but schools in most regions fail to provide proper hands-on classes since they must organize such instruction without state support and pay for supplies themselves.
“In computer classes, some students were using old devices they brought from home, while others were using mock keyboards or printed materials, while students in cooking classes needed to bring their own ingredients, so students from poor families couldn’t participate in practicals at all,” the source said.
More specifically, technical high schools in Pyongsong focus on information technology and electronics assembly, but practical training was impossible due to old equipment, with most students simply listening to teacher explanations without ever touching a device, the review revealed. This sparked criticism that while the classes focus on the latest information, the learning environment “is stuck in the 1980s.”
Chongjin emerges as model despite widespread problems
Technical high schools in Nampo possess some equipment; however, they have shown no clear improvements or developments in their classroom methodology or practical training, resulting in negative reviews.
Technical high schools in Kaesong and Sariwon, North Hwanghae province, suffer similar problems. They received poor reviews due to insufficient practical training, a lack of teacher expertise and classes that were out of sync with local realities.
However, technical high schools in Chongjin were recognized as model examples for their cooperation with local fishery enterprises to share equipment for practical training. In its review, the Ministry of Education said it would make Chongjin “the nationwide standard” for combining real-world conditions and practical classes.
“Reports are written to sound plausible rather than reflecting harsh realities, so many clever places receive good reviews,” the source said. “Actual educational standards at Chongjin’s technical high schools aren’t that great, but they made themselves look better than other places in their report. So people say reviews ultimately depend on the skills of education officials.”
In the review, the Ministry of Education criticized technical high schools for organizing technical classes unrelated to local industries.
“Some schools offered machine assembly classes where no machine factories existed, while some interior cities with no fishery sectors taught classes on fishery equipment,” the source said. “So, students have no real feel for what they learn.”
In its final review, the Ministry of Education mentioned Chongjin’s technical middle schools as an example while presenting several tasks for the second half of the year, including better connections with regional industries, joint use of spaces for practical training and expanding technical retraining for teachers. It will also discuss plans to apply Chongjin’s example nationwide during a separate meeting later this month.
