Status of Education in the North Korea
Literacy in this nation of 23.5 million is reported at 99% for both men and women. English is not compulsory and is confined to English language classrooms, but English is now the most widely taught foreign language. It is likely that students are exposed to English only through government textbooks available in these classrooms and in school libraries. However, few general English-language books are imported, making the donations by Books for Asia extremely important and very much appreciated by educators.
Current Focus
Books for Asia donates approximately 12,000 books and journals each year to the national library of North Korea, the Grand People's Study House, and various university libraries including the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, Kim Chaek University of Science and Technology, Kim Il Sung University, and the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. In response to North Korea's request, the majority of the donated books are in the areas of science, technology, medicine, economics, and teaching English, although other topics such as the arts, history, international relations, and law are included as well. Books for Asia no longer donates books to South Korea.
Read more about The Asia Foundation's work in Korea.
Project and Partner Highlights
Special Collection for Academy of Agricultural Science. In response to a special request for technical books on pine tree diseases and pest control, The Asia Foundation worked with American scientists at Cornell University to identify a small collection of reference books for use by North Korea's Academy of Agricultural Science. In addition, the Foundation donated to the Academy a set of the Essential Agricultural Library (TEEAL), a CD ROM-based collection of some 130 multi-year agricultural journals produced at Cornell.
Major publisher donors: McGraw Hill, Lynne Rienner, W.W. Norton & Company, and Island Press.
Contact
Peter Beck
Korea Representative, The Asia Foundation
pbeck@asiafound.org