Recently, newspapers in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) ran stories under such headlines as ``Stupid Tokyo University students'' and ``Japanese youth's declining scholastic ability.'' The stories that carried Tokyo datelines cited examples of a University of Tokyo student who misstated the distance between Tokyo and Sapporo at 30 kilometers and a student who said the circumference of the earth is 4,000 kilometers instead of 40,000 kilometers.

The articles discussed Takashi Tachibana's book in which he criticized the University of Tokyo. There was nothing new in the stories because I have been familiar with his critical views of the university for several years. I was more curious to learn the reason for the sudden interest.

Recently, there has been growing concern that the scholastic ability of South Korean high school students is showing a sharp decline. Perhaps the stories wanted to make a point that the trend is not South Korea's alone but a similar situation is developing in Japan as well.

Apprehensions that South Korean high school students' grades are falling erupted again this year with the advent of the university entrance examination season. High school students aiming for university entrance are required to simultaneously sit for a common examination that lasts 360 minutes. Since the results of the test seriously affect the students' chances of getting into the universities of their choice, parents of applicants are desperate to have them do well. The families of third-grade senior high school students taking the examination drop their voices and lower the volume of television so as not to distract them. The entire family puts up with inconveniences for a year for the student preparing to take the test.

University entrance is more than a family affair. In fact, it affects the whole nation. On the day of the examination, companies put off the start of business for an hour. Airlines refrain from flying over examination centers during foreign language hearing sessions so as not to make it difficult for students to catch the hearing problems because of noise.

This year, the average mark of the test, whose perfect score is 400, was estimated to drop by more than 50. The forecast triggered public criticism toward the entrance examination system as a whole and led to an argument that the scholastic achievement of senior high school students itself is a problem. I also heard that many senior high school students asked to work out the sum of one-half and one-third answered coolly that it is two-fifths. How deplorable.

Every year, on the day of university entrance examination, a cold wave hits. South Koreans call it ``university entrance cold wave.'' Although the date was moved up this year, a cold wave hit on Nov. 7 when the examination was held and the temperature dropped below zero across the nation.

I heard that in Japan, mothers who are eager for their children to get into prestigious schools are called ``education moms.'' There is a similar expression in South Korea, where mothers of senior high school students applying for university entrance are called ``third-grade omma (mothers).'' While there is a slight difference in nuance, both are mothers who put their all into their children's education.

Third-grade omma refrain from going out, hunt for Chinese medicines to keep their children healthy and receive special treatment from those around them so that they may keep their homes peaceful. Even if they break promises or do not show up at important meetings, they are forgiven.

It is often said that Japanese and South Koreans are much alike. I disagree. Every time I hear such views, I say they are totally different. The color of their skin is about the only thing Japanese and South Koreans share in common. The ideas of individuals and structures of society they make up are completely different.

There is another aspect in which they are alike, though. It is the growing anxiety concerning education over such troublesome situations as classroom breakdown and school disintegration. Like their Japanese counterparts, South Korean students sleep in school and study at private cram schools that specialize in preparing students for entrance examinations.

Both countries are keen on educating young people almost to the point of obsession. The problem is the trend is closed and runs counter to internationalism. After all, education is about ``understanding'' and ``achievement.'' Humans study to become someone. I think it was Albert Einstein who said education is what remains after one forgets everything one was taught at school.

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Han Soo San is a writer and professor at Sejong University in Seoul.