My dad gave me sage advice one day. "Whatever you do, don't ever compromise your integrity. At the end of the day, your reputation is more important than money."
It never ceases to surprise me what certain people will do for a buck. I'm not trying to be judgemental of those who have to make difficult choices because of need; rather, I'm referring to those who already have enough to live a decent life, but who are greedy enough to lie, cheat, steal or basically con people out of their own hard-earned money or to gain advantages for themselves and/or their families.
Just recently a Korean newspaper reported a "scandal" involving a top high school near Seoul that was involved in the leaking of entrance exam questions to both private academy owners and a parent of one of the involved children (who, naturally, passed the exam). This isn't the first time such a leak occured, and I've wondered just what drives people to do this. Why compromise a lifetime of work in the education sector (the school's admissions director is on the run from the law) just for a few bucks? Why risk your son/daughter's future by getting them involved in potentially criminal activity? For what reason should anyone allow an unqualified student into a prestigious school, risking both the school's reputation and the mental well-being of the student himself/herself?
I just think the mania engulfing education in Korea is getting dangerously close to a tipping point. I'm of the opinion that, within the next decade or so, a lot of regulatory changes will occur, and even the private education industry (including my business) will come under greater and greater scrutiny. It is in the best interests of anyone wishing to get involved in education to clean up his/her own act, and to focus a bit more on providing an excellent product without compromising on one's own integrity. I mean, we're teaching this kids to be better students, right? Why set the example of being bad educators?
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