North Korea schools lean on prominent parents as renovation costs mount

North Korean schools in South Pyongan province are pressing parents to fund building repairs and purchase educational materials during March, which authorities have dubbed the “month of assisting schools,” a source inside the country told Daily NK on Thursday.

The source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said schools in Sukchon county are asking parents to cover costs for renovations of libraries, science labs, and computer labs, as well as larger projects such as repairs of sports fields and outdoor swimming pools. With little financial support from central or regional governments, schools have few options beyond shifting the burden to families.

Recognizing that most families cannot make meaningful contributions, schools are increasingly turning to those that are affluent or socially prominent.

“It’s gotten to the point where people joke that homeroom teachers’ job isn’t teaching class, but visiting parents and persuading them to help out,” the source said.

Families of student leaders bearing the brunt

The primary targets are parents of students in leadership roles or with strong political records, including class presidents and officers in the Korean Youth League and Korean Children’s Union.

For these families, the requests are not just burdensome but offensive.

“Things have gotten out of hand. Having even two children on the leadership track at school puts you under enormous pressure. My older child was asked for two tons (4,409 pounds) of cement for swimming pool repairs, and my younger child was asked to replace the chairs and desk in their classroom,” one parent in Sukchon county said.

The same parent said the school’s expectations are prompting a rethink about keeping children in leadership positions. “We were aware that the school had assessed our financial situation when they gave our children leadership roles. But if this is what they expect from us, we’ll have to rethink things. We plan to have our children step back from leadership starting next year.”

“School awards are nice and all, but after a while, they start to lose their luster. The political upside of donating gradually becomes less appealing,” the source said. “Given how frequently schools organize these improvement projects, even the most affluent of families eventually come to resent these repeated requests.”

Teachers are also caught in an uncomfortable position. Parents often ignore or rebuff fundraising requests, putting teachers at risk of souring relationships they depend on. At the same time, a grade’s standing within the school is tied directly to how much parental support it secures, which feeds into teachers’ own performance evaluations, creating additional pressure to keep soliciting.

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