0:00:02 > 0:00:05What does it take to have the best schools in the world?
0:00:06 > 0:00:10To find out, three Welsh teenagers will swap their classroom,
0:00:10 > 0:00:16teachers and even their parents to experience life on the opposite side
0:00:16 > 0:00:17of the globe.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19In Gangnam in South Korea...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22# Gangnam style... #
0:00:22 > 0:00:25..here, pupils work long hours.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Teachers can become millionaires...
0:00:27 > 0:00:28HE SPEAKS KOREAN
0:00:28 > 0:00:32..and parents plough a small fortune into private tuition for their kids.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35This is extreme education.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40But South Korean schools are ranked as some of the best in the world.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47I'm Sian Griffiths, education editor at the Sunday Times and next month,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50the big news story will be the results from the international
0:00:50 > 0:00:54ranking system for schools, known as Pisa.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56According to international rankings,
0:00:56 > 0:01:01our registration system is so far behind that of countries like South Korea.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06I want to know - what would it take for Welsh schools to compete
0:01:06 > 0:01:08and be at the top of those rankings?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And to do that, I need some help.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13So for three days,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18three Welsh teenagers will live and breathe Korean education to find out
0:01:18 > 0:01:21the secret to their success.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I honestly couldn't keep my eyes open.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26This is School Swap, Korean style.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35St Davids in Pembrokeshire is the smallest city in Britain.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38This is where I grew up and went to school.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Here, I got the grades to go to Oxford to studying English.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46And back then, the quality of Wales's education system was renowned.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47But something has changed.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53So I want three students from my old school to help me find out what.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57I'm sending them to one of the best and toughest education systems
0:01:57 > 0:02:00in the world today - South Korea.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04I'm looking forward to experiencing it
0:02:04 > 0:02:07but I honestly don't know how they cope.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Some days, I'll only have two lessons in the morning
0:02:10 > 0:02:13or sometimes I have triple lessons at the end of the day,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15so I can have a lie-in in the morning.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20I do like the social part of school
0:02:20 > 0:02:24but I don't really enjoy the educational side of it.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Some might say that I like my PlayStation a bit more,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31or playing sports with my friends a bit more than studying.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35School for me is about, yeah,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37it's where you come along and you see your friends every day
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but it's also about knuckling down - and actually getting some work done.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I want to get the best, I want to be the best.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43And I think that all starts with education.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49I want to go to Korea, because I want to know why they are doing
0:02:49 > 0:02:51so much better in education than we are
0:02:51 > 0:02:52and what they have that we don't.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Three very different kids
0:02:54 > 0:02:59but how will they take to the super-tough system of South Korea?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01# Everybody is kung-fu fighting... #
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Our three Welsh teenagers are travelling 6,000 miles
0:03:05 > 0:03:10from Pembrokeshire to the capital of South Korea, Seoul.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12# A little bit frightening
0:03:12 > 0:03:15# It's the book of your life that you're writing... #
0:03:15 > 0:03:20For three days, I've arranged for them to be totally immersed in Korean school and teenage life.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24And they need to look the part, too.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25Looks like you're going to play cricket.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31So first stop is the local school-uniform shop.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32HE LAUGHS
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- I feel like an air hostess! - You look like one!
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Oh, my goodness!
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Most schools in this area are single-sex schools
0:03:39 > 0:03:41so the three will have to split up.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Tommy and Ewan will attend Dankook,
0:03:46 > 0:03:52an all-boys high school in the most affluent neighbourhood in Gangnam.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55The school is surrounded by expensive high-rise flats
0:03:55 > 0:03:59with Korean parents spending a fortune to move into the school's catchment.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Mine is a very posh school and I have a feeling they're going to be really strict.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Sarah will attend the nearby all-girls school, Suhmoon.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Over 1,500 girls attend this high school,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17and it's one of the best in Gangnam
0:04:17 > 0:04:20with strict rules on uniform and appearance.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27'Our three Welsh students will also be staying with a Korean family but
0:04:27 > 0:04:28'before they head off,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31'I want to know if they're ready for the challenge.'
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Do you already know any Korean?
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Have you learnt any in the few hours you've been here?
0:04:35 > 0:04:37I've picked up a little bit, I mean, like...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39HE SPEAKS KOREAN
0:04:39 > 0:04:40..is, like, "thank you".
0:04:40 > 0:04:43And Tommy knows the way to, like, introduce yourself.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Yeah, when you greet someone, you say...
0:04:45 > 0:04:49HE SPEAKS KOREAN
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- Sarah?- I'm useless! I've been relying on these two.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55OK, well, good luck, all three of you.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- Off you go.- Can't wait!- Cheers.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Sarah, Tommy and Ewan now split up and head off to meet their Korean
0:05:04 > 0:05:06classmates for the first time.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11They know nothing about their host families and the nerves are
0:05:11 > 0:05:13definitely starting to show.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Yeah, a bit nervous, but should be good to meet them.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20I think nervous doesn't quite cut it!
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Do I press here?
0:05:23 > 0:05:24What do I do? This one?
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Ah, here we go.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33OK.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Ooh!
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Hello!- Nice to meet you.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Sarah will be staying with 16-year-old Seon.
0:05:49 > 0:05:56When she was young, Seon went to a school for gifted children and her favourite subject is maths.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57That's the living room.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59- OK.- And the dining room.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Yeah.- And that's the kitchen.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Oh, my gosh! Actually here!
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Meanwhile, on the other side of town,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Tommy is going up in the world.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- Hello. Hi.- Tommy! Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Tommy's Korean classmate is Min Young.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19He has a bird's eye view of Seoul from his 36th-floor apartment.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22And there's an 86-inch television to amuse him.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Ooh, you've got a home cinema.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27That's really cool! That's a lovely view as well.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Ewan is the last to meet his Korean counterpart, Young Chan.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- Hello.- Hello, hello. - HE SPEAKS KOREAN
0:06:36 > 0:06:37There's no television here.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Young Chan's parents believe it's a barrier to good education.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42This is a really nice house.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- You've made the most of the space as well. It's really good.- Yeah.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Both are top students in their class
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and it's not long before they check out each other's maths homework
0:06:52 > 0:06:53and musical skills.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54HE PLAYS A JAUNTY TUNE
0:07:04 > 0:07:07THEY LAUGH
0:07:07 > 0:07:08HE PLAYS A JAUNTY TUNE
0:07:17 > 0:07:19APPLAUSE
0:07:20 > 0:07:22First impressions, I don't stand a chance.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25He's amazing! He can play the piano backwards, for Christ's sake!
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I don't stand a chance.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Finally here, I'm finally here and it's crazy. It's really good.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31I look like an idiot now!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35You just tap your head.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Tomorrow, our three Welsh students are going to discover why Korean education
0:07:39 > 0:07:41is the toughest in the world.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43What time does school start tomorrow?
0:07:43 > 0:07:46We need to be there by eight.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Eight? All right, OK. Yeah. Eight o'clock, so quite an early start.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52But it's all right.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I think it's math, English and history.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- OK.- And then we're going to have dinner at school and then
0:08:00 > 0:08:03we're going to have, like, extracurricular stuff.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05We stay there until, like, ten.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06Ten o'clock at night?
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Ten, yes.- OK.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I'm normally fast asleep at ten o'clock.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15But I think I can change for a couple of days.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17I don't think I'm prepared for this.
0:08:26 > 0:08:316.45 in the morning and in Young Chan's house, there's no sign of Ewan.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Hello? Ewan?
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It's already, like, a quarter before seven.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Sorry. I fell back to sleep.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- That's normal.- Yeah.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Over at Seon's house,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51it's a different kind of wake-up call for Sarah over breakfast.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56We have this bag in each class for us to put our phones in.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- What, we have to give our phones in? - Yes.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01You're not even just allowed to turn them off and put them in...?
0:09:01 > 0:09:05No. I guess you can, but if the teacher finds out, they'll take it
0:09:05 > 0:09:10for a week and a half...to a month. It depends on the teacher.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- They can take your phone off you for that long?- Yeah.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Oh, my God!
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I did wake up and I just fell back asleep.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29Ready for school now. Apparently, I might be out until 11.30 at night, so...
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Could be quite interesting!
0:09:32 > 0:09:36While Sarah and Ewan make their way to their respective schools,
0:09:36 > 0:09:41over at Min Young's house, Tommy's only just getting up.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42I don't usually function at this time.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47God, you get better weather here than we do.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Much better. This is, like,...
0:09:49 > 0:09:51This is, like, actually quite a nice day!
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It gets a bit tiring after lunch.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00I think I'll be tired before lunch!
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Because Tommy got up so late, his Korean classmate is worried.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Are we going to be there on time? I think...
0:10:12 > 0:10:14He's never been late to school before.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I'll catch up. Don't worry.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23In Dankook high school,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27punishment for missing the bell is coming in even earlier
0:10:27 > 0:10:29to clean the corridors and classrooms.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44With seconds to spare,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48both have avoided mopping-up duties - for today, at least.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57Sarah is creating a bit of a stir over at Suhmoon girls' school.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Being the only blonde in school can make you quite a celebrity!
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I'm not normally awake until about quarter to eight.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15It's too strange. Too early!
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It's ten to eight, and first up, it's English...
0:11:22 > 0:11:26..and a gentle easing-in for Tommy, Ewan and Sarah.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- RECORDING:- 'Well, I'm not very familiar with that genre of music.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34'I cut myself when I shaved this morning.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'Maybe you can shave in the shower.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38'Hmm. Sounds like a good idea.'
0:11:38 > 0:11:44More than 99% of Korean students choose to stay in school after they turn 16,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48compared to only 50% back home in Wales.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50For the next three years,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54they prepare for a make-or-break exam to get into a good university.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59While I wait to see if they kids survive their first day,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I've been looking around the local area
0:12:02 > 0:12:04and come across this Buddhist temple.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08This sign is pretty interesting.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14It's inviting people to come and do 3,000 bows or prayers
0:12:14 > 0:12:17overnight this Saturday, for...
0:12:17 > 0:12:19guess what? Good exam results!
0:12:25 > 0:12:29These mothers are praying for good results in the end-of-term exams.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Each prayer book has a picture of their child.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42And on the roof of the temple,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45the light stays on in the family's lantern
0:12:45 > 0:12:47until the child reaches university.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54In the temple courtyard,
0:12:54 > 0:12:59the mothers burn old textbooks to destroy any possible bad luck
0:12:59 > 0:13:00in the looming exams.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06It is this religious devotion to education that has helped transform
0:13:06 > 0:13:08South Korea's fortunes.
0:13:09 > 0:13:1460 years ago, nearly 80% of the population here was illiterate.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Today, South Korea is an economic giant.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22They did all that through education.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23CHANTING
0:13:35 > 0:13:37So how good are they?
0:13:37 > 0:13:41I've arranged a test for the boys in Dankook school.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- Good morning. ALL:- Good morning!
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Today, you're going to be sitting a Welsh GCSE maths exam.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51THEY LAUGH
0:13:51 > 0:13:57You have 60 minutes and your time starts...now!
0:13:59 > 0:14:04It's usually a two-hour-long paper but we've randomly selected
0:14:04 > 0:14:07half the questions to fit this exam into 60 minutes.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10In my maths exam, I got an A*.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12A*, yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I was told to aim for full marks.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15So...
0:14:18 > 0:14:20After only 15 minutes,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23some of the Korean students have already finished the paper.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29But even on his second attempt, GCSE maths is still a headache for Tommy.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36For my GCSEs, I got two A*s, four As, four Bs, and a C.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I thought I did quite well, considering the amount of work I did.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43The only grade that I would've liked to have got higher was a C in maths.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I would've liked to get that up to a B, but it is what it is.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52OK, so can I just ask you all -
0:14:52 > 0:14:57can you put your hands up if you found that paper difficult?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Oh! LAUGHTER
0:15:01 > 0:15:03OK, so can I ask you now,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07can you put your hands up if you found that paper really easy?
0:15:09 > 0:15:10OK!
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Everybody found it really easy.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17That was really interesting.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21None of those South Korean teenagers found that paper difficult.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Most of them finished it in about 15 minutes.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24It was supposed to take an hour.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I'm not really surprised,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30because the teacher said that paper was primary school level maths for
0:15:30 > 0:15:36those children. It just shows how far we've got to go to catch up in Wales.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Thousands of children in Wales - not just in Wales, across the UK -
0:15:39 > 0:15:41would have failed that paper this summer.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45That says a lot about where we are and how much we've got to do.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I asked them and they thought the exam was very easy.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53And I said, "Well, some people in our class had failed that,"
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and they said, "Well, that's astounding."
0:15:56 > 0:16:00So I just think they work harder, they go over it and then,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03an exam they'd had never studied for before, they just did it straight through,
0:16:03 > 0:16:04so, yeah, amazing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Korean teenagers are exam-busting machines
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and are among the top performing students in the world.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16We know this because of the Pisa tests.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Every three years,
0:16:18 > 0:16:2515-year-olds in 68 different countries sit the same exams in maths, science and reading.
0:16:26 > 0:16:32In maths, Asian countries like South Korea consistently come out on top.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34But in the last results in 2012,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Wales was in the bottom third of the league -
0:16:38 > 0:16:4243rd out of 68 countries.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47One obvious difference here is the long hours they put in.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Sarah is struggling to stay awake.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Others have just given up but still, the teacher carries on.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I feel really bad, because I've gone really sleepy now
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and I was just like... Ooh!
0:17:07 > 0:17:10At least there's one similarity between Wales and South Korea -
0:17:10 > 0:17:12they do have school dinners!
0:17:12 > 0:17:17In Seoul, all kids up to 16 years old have three school meals.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But you won't find any chips being dished out there.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Korean school dinners are hailed as some of the healthiest in the world.
0:17:25 > 0:17:32Plenty of rice, soup and gut-friendly fermented cabbage called kimchi.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33Oh, yeah. Rice.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36It's really nice. It's sort of like a stew, sort of thing.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40But there's less stew to it, and more meat and veg, and stuff.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It's really tasty. Really tasty.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44With their bellies full,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48it's back to the classroom and our Welsh students are actually
0:17:48 > 0:17:51getting a taste for Korean-style lessons.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53The method of teaching out here is,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56they give it to you in black and white and you memorise it and you learn it
0:17:56 > 0:17:59but that does not necessarily mean that you understand it.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02What stuck out to me a lot is in class, they don't even talk to each other.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It's just bizarre.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07The school here is better in terms of the results,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10but are they really living a life that a young person should be?
0:18:10 > 0:18:11I'm not so sure.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16In response to such criticisms,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20the principal of the boys' school has introduced a school sports day
0:18:20 > 0:18:24to tackle the problems of stressed-out and tired students.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29This is one of the best schools in Seoul
0:18:29 > 0:18:31and South Korea is at the top
0:18:31 > 0:18:34of the international rankings for education.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38But do you feel that this kind of sports day is necessary to give them
0:18:38 > 0:18:39some kind of release from that pressure?
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Yeah. That's a part of the reason I do this with these kids because,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45you know, like, this time never comes back.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48You know, like, this is a beautiful time of our life.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49- Mmm.- But, you know,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53they are kind of, like, squeezed under a big load of pressure.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58- Mmm.- Their day is probably, like, six till 12 or something.
0:18:58 > 0:18:596am in the morning to midnight?
0:18:59 > 0:19:01- Yeah.- To midnight! Whoa!
0:19:01 > 0:19:03So they're getting about six hours' sleep?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Six hours' sleep. That's a very, like, insufficient.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08So we've been seeing some children asleep, actually,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10nodding off in lessons.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13What do you do when you see children doing that?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Actually, I tap the glass, I mean, the window of the classroom,
0:19:16 > 0:19:21and I try to wake them up, by, like, sending my finger signal to them.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22- Does it work?- Yeah, it is working.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26- Yeah.- Eventually, probably that's going to damage their, like,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28efficiency of their studies.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- Right.- Cos if they need a sleep, they kind of lack sleep.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33So that's part of the reason we're doing this.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37It's kind of, like, some activities to release their stress.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41The final event of the day is rope skipping and Tommy's been given the
0:19:41 > 0:19:44responsibility for swinging the rope for his team.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I actually quite nervous. I don't want to get it wrong.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Look how many people are watching.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52I'm petrified!
0:19:54 > 0:19:56CHEERING
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Look how wrong it can go!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Next up, it's Tommy's team.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Yay! Yay!
0:20:09 > 0:20:10Yay!
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Come on!
0:20:15 > 0:20:17HE SHOUTS ENCOURAGEMENT
0:20:20 > 0:20:23CHEERING
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Most of the Korean students don't know anything about Wales.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29That's until they see the flag.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33There's one famous Welsh footballer and everyone knows his name.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38ALL: Gareth Bale! Gareth Bale! Gareth Bale!
0:20:38 > 0:20:41CHEERING
0:20:51 > 0:20:5420 minutes past four and the bell rings for the boys.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Over at the girls' school, the lessons may have ended but now
0:20:59 > 0:21:03it's time for after-school study.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08Ten hours in and Sarah's sitting in the same classroom in the same chair.
0:21:12 > 0:21:19I feel really bad but I honestly couldn't keep my eyes open during that lesson.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21It's all getting too much for Sarah.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24So her Korean classmate Seon comes to the rescue.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27We're going to get you to go to the nurse's office.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31There are a lot of beds there, so you can take a rest!
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I feel so bad!
0:21:33 > 0:21:39And after that, we can go to my extracurricular class and then we go home.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Oh, I feel bad going into the nurse's room.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47I should just... I should be awake but I'm just so genuinely tired.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57As night falls on Seoul,
0:21:57 > 0:22:04Ewan and Young Chan make their way to a five-hour self-studying session in the local public library.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09At the moment, we're waiting to get into the library.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12I was amazed that there could be so many people all in there at once
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and the fact that they're all exquisitely silent.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19There was even kids in there studying, about ten years old.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25It's surprising, but it shows the work ethic Korean people have and it's just impressive.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26It's amazing.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Studying for 14 to 16 hours a day is normal for Young Chan.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38This is his way of staying at the very top of the class.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40I found that if you review your school works,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43what you've learned on that day, then it really helps you a lot,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45so the library where I study, near my house,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47it only opens until ten,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50so if I want to study more, and, like, finishing my work,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54then I just come back to school and, yeah, stay here until 12.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56My parents' influence is the biggest part,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59cos my dad grew up in the countryside.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00He had a really poor background and he, like,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03studied really hard and he made it into Seoul.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06If he can do that, then maybe I can study more.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11But, like, second purpose is that it's really kind of happy
0:23:11 > 0:23:14when you get good results from, like, studying.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17It's really not comparable with any other achievement.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Yeah, that's what drives me to study.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23When they're not self-studying in libraries,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27most Korean students go to private night schools called hagwons.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32This area of Gangnam has over 1,000 of these hagwons.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Min Young is taking Tommy to his English hagwon -
0:23:36 > 0:23:39a two-hour top-up lesson in English grammar.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I've arranged to meet Tommy at his hagwon
0:23:45 > 0:23:46and on my way over in the taxi,
0:23:46 > 0:23:51the driver has plenty to say about the role hagwons play in society here.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57This is mathematics hagwon and this is English hagwon
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and this is mathematics hagwon.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01This is a street of hagwons, really.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- Yeah.- This is hagwon street. - Yes, yes, that's right.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06And the children come here what time after school?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- Five o'clock?- About five o'clock to 12 o'clock.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13So at midnight, this street will be full of children?
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Yes. Yes. Yes.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16It's crazy.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21'Byung Hoon has sent all of his three children to hagwons.'
0:24:21 > 0:24:24So, when you have three children in the hagwons,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26how much is that costing you?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Almost 2,000 per month.
0:24:28 > 0:24:302,000!
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Per month. For the...mathematics.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35How many hours do you have to work to pay for the hagwon?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37About 14 hours.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- 14 hours a day?- 15 hours in a day.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- How many days a week? - Er, six days a week.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Six days a week, you're working 14 hours a day?
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- Yes.- So you never see your children. When do you see your children?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Very hard to see children.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- Oh!- Yes.- Oh, it's a high price to pay for hagwons.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Yes. Yes, that's right. That's true.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Korean parents spend more on private education for their kids
0:25:01 > 0:25:03than any other country in the world.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04It's almost an addiction here.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The government has even placed a ten o'clock curfew on the hagwons,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11to try and control their influence.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15To keep the kids out of private education,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19the girls' school offers its own version of a hagwon.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21But it's all too much for Sarah.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27We were supposed to stay until ten but I've actually been really tired
0:25:27 > 0:25:33so, luckily, we've been let out a bit earlier but, yeah,
0:25:33 > 0:25:39it's been a really intense day and definitely not used to staying in school this late.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40At his private hagwon,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Tommy and his Korean classmate Min Young now face another test.
0:25:44 > 0:25:51And Tommy, what's the difference between present perfect and past?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- Present perfect?- Yeah.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58I have lived in Wales for 20 years.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01That's present past.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- Present perfect.- Present perfect. - Had...yeah, have lived...
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- Yeah.- What's the difference between "have lived" and "lived"?
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Er, I live...
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- I don't know.- Yeah, OK.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Can I ask you, cos you've been teaching tonight a grammar lesson to one of our students from Wales,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Tommy, but in the English grammar test,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Min Young did better than Tommy.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- Oh, shoot!- Yeah!
0:26:26 > 0:26:27THEY LAUGH
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Min Young is excellent. He's the best student and also he's diligent.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I noticed that Tommy was writing down everything and he wanted to
0:26:35 > 0:26:40memorise it. So Tommy is really diligent and he has passion
0:26:40 > 0:26:44so if there's a system that helped Tommy,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46then Tommy can, you know, get a better score.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50It's ten o'clock at night.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55The hagwons are closing because of the government curfew but many students,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57like Young Chan, are carrying on.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00So where are we going now?
0:27:00 > 0:27:02We're actually heading back to school.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- Back to school?- Yeah. So the study room is open until 11.30.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- 11.30!- Luckily, we have our bikes there,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11so shall we take them back home?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Yeah, that makes things easier.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15God, and then a long day tomorrow.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16- Yeah.- And then, one after that!
0:27:16 > 0:27:19THEY LAUGH
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Dankook boys' school is open until 11.30pm at night,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25so they're carrying on with their studying there.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28This is a relentless education system.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32It's ten o'clock at night and the street's just full of children,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35a lot of them still in their school uniforms.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37And I've been speaking to a few groups of children.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Some of them are tired, some of them are hungry.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44One said he would love to be playing basketball and one girl I spoke to,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47she was 14, she said, "I just want to sleep.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49"I'm so tired, I just want to go to sleep."
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Like other countries around the world,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57the Welsh Government has sent civil servants out to South Korea
0:27:57 > 0:28:02to see if changes need to be made to our education system back home.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But is this what it takes to get to the top of the international rankings
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and if it is, is it actually worth it?
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Next time, on School Swap: Korean Style,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18there's a surprise in store for our Welsh students...
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- Bore da, pawb.- ..as their headmaster flies over to see them.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Oh, no!
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Oh, no! Oh, no!
0:28:26 > 0:28:30We find out how teachers are treated in South Korea and meet the maths
0:28:30 > 0:28:33teacher who's made millions from online classes...
0:28:33 > 0:28:35HE SPEAKS KOREAN
0:28:37 > 0:28:41..and I'll be confronting the Welsh education minister with my findings.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43We're not where we should be.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47We're not where I want to be but we are moving forward.