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Let's take a look at Microsoft's press page for Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and the richest man in the world. His introduction there is as follows:
"Gates attended a public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13."
Considering that he was born in 1955, that means that Gates must have discovered computers at school in 1967 or 1968. The Gates family was wealthy -- his father was a prominent Seattle lawyer -- but Bill met his first computer not at home, but at school. American schools were teaching students how to use computers 40 years ago, and not just at colleges, but at secondary schools.
Gates enrolled at Harvard University intending to study law but later changed his major to math. In his junior year he left Harvard to devote his time to developing computer software, perhaps believing that he would miss out on business opportunities if he stayed to finish his undergraduate degree. He is now a giant in the software industry and the wealthiest man in the world with assets of W53 trillion (US$1=W938).
Now let's look at some Korean secondary schools. While powerful computers are everyday tools for most of us, many Korean schools lack even basic computer hardware. Schools in remote areas teach their students with outdated systems and low-speed Internet connections. Many schools don't have enough software, and some schools can't afford to have their broken down old computers repaired. Others need TVs and projectors.
The problems are not limited to computers. In the summer students at some rural schools study under the trees because the worn-out fans indoors can't cool down the schoolrooms. A principal at one middle school says the cracked walls in his school buildings are reminiscent of schools in North Korea. A teacher at another school says his classroom has no reference or exercise books, and an administrative chief at a middle school says he is forced to beg private businesses for support. Visit the Chosun Ilbo's "SchoolUp" web page (schoolup.chosun.com) and you can find hundreds of similar stories from schools across the country. Many Korean secondary schools today are in miserable shape. If Bill Gates had been born in Korea, he might never have had the opportunity to discover his true potential.
To combat the problem, the Chosun Ilbo some time ago launched a campaign to help better supply our schools. The campaign is aimed at providing young students an educational environment that reflects this era of per capita income of $20,000 so that they can explore their full potential.
It's not just the government's job to fix our schools. This cause should be supported by ordinary citizens and private businesses that have benefited from our society. And in fact many people and companies have already joined the campaign. One generous man donated W100 million to his alma mater without identifying himself. Businesses should pitch in, too, to ensure that their local schools can provide them with talented graduates. But when it comes to philanthropy, many Korean companies, unlike their American counterparts, are notoriously stingy and refuse to contribute to the public welfare.
Donating a huge sum of money to a high school in the U.S., Bill Gates wrote, "Change is occurring everywhere across the country. Educators and society are reforming American high schools. They are creating a dynamic educational environment designed to help all students succeed. It is indisputably true that we need dedication and participation to reform our high schools. We need to make sustained and enormous investments in resources, time, and expertise to motivate and maintain these changes. The challenge is enormous, but the possibilities are also great." When will we see this kind of message take hold in Korea?
This column was contributed by Khang Hyo-shang, from the Chosun Ilbo¡¯s National/City News Division.
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