SEOUL Before classes begin, the corridors of Ilsung Women’s Middle and High School are filled with the sounds of cheerful chatter and lively greetings.
Inside the classrooms, heads are bowed in concentration, and hands are busy copying notes off the blackboard.
This is a scenario not out of place inanormal school, but what stands out are the telltale heads of silver hair and tight curls characteristics associated with South Korean middle-aged aunties and grannies.
At Ilsung Women’s Middle and High School, almost 90 per cent of the students are in their 70s and 80s.
Unlike other middle and high schools in South Korea which cater to students aged 12 to 18, Ilsung is only for women aged 40 and above who did not manage to receive or complete their education when they were younger.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, there are nine of such schools catering to mature students in Seoul, with a total of 42 nationwide.
There are no school fees for such students, which number more than 6,600 across the country on average per year.
South Korea is among the world’s fastest ageing societies, with 19 per cent of its population aged 65 and above as at 2023.
Ruddy-cheeked 75-year-old student Beom Shin-hee was huffing and puffing on her daily steep uphill climb to the school.
She wakes up at 6.30am and pulls a shift cleaning a kindergarten near her home in Itaewon before heading to school, a 30-minute journey away by public transport before a10-minute uphill climb to the school.
She told The Sunday Times: The walk is a bit tough, but I see it as exercise. I feel good learning new things, especially when I can read the signs at the subway stations!”
FAMILY OBLIGATIONS
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 17, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 17, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
FINALLY, A FIRST GOLD FOR PERKINS
Patience rewarded for French jockey whose rides, let alone good ones, have been scarce
TOUGH MARE SEALS LAST TOUR DE FORCE WITH A WIN
French fields beckon as Lim’s Force goes out with a bang, leading rare Zaki riding double
Banks' earnings expected to stay strong with higher-for-longer rates
S’pore bank chiefs optimistic about net interest margins, but headwinds remain
Spending spree led by US, EU pushes rivalry with China to critical turning point
WASHINGTON by the United States and European Union have funnelled nearly US$81 billion (S$110 billion) towards cranking out the next generation of semiconductors, escalating a global showdown with China for chip supremacy.
Archegos founder on trial for securities fraud
Archegos founder Bill Hwang was scheduled to go on trial on May 13 for alleged securities fraud and market manipulation, prosecutors said, following the fund's spectacular 2021 implosion that cost large banks billions of dollars.
Changi Airport’s heavy and specialised vehicles to trial use of renewable diesel
As part of a further move to lower the aviation industry's carbon footprint, trials on the use of renewable diesel for heavy and specialised airside vehicles will be conducted at Changi Airport.
Convict deported to Cambodia faces possible extradition to China
Beijing has an extradition treaty with Phnom Penh, but not with S’pore
Sellers welcome option to market resale flats on HDB portal by themselves
They can market their unit at their own pace and save on property agent fees
US gurus’ push false claims to attack birth control pills
They monetise misinformation to hawk healing’ oils and fertility-tracking service
Wildfires in Western Canada spark evacuation orders, air quality concerns
The season’s first major wildfire continued to spread to roughly 10,000ha across Western Canada on May 12 as the authorities issued an evacuation order for a community in British Columbia and warned of poor air quality across provinces.