Last winter, the Korea University (KU) Graduate School of Education, Education Management Advanced Management Program (AMP) Friendship launched the “AMP Crimson Volunteer Group,” which is composed of 63 volunteers that have been dedicated to bridging the educational gap for students that live in rural regions or lie in the lower-income bracket.

The program gives briefing sessions on how to tackle the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), or suneung, including exam strategies and problems that are similar to those given in the real exam. Moreover, they provide private counseling for students that have trouble developing their own career paths, which may help them develop better stability in life and a more promising future.

According to Cho Dongil, the head of the volunteer group, the program rejects the social stigma in Korea that money is the only aim of private education, as the program is free of any charge and fully funded by KU alumni. By expanding their range of services, Cho hopes to overcome the education gap between private and public high schools through free education.