Curbs on Foreign Language High Schools

모르는 단어는 네이트 웹서치로 쉽게 찾아서 보세요..


In a statement on June 19, Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo said foreign language high schools will have to recruit new students only within their school districts, starting in 2008.

Kim said, “It is necessary to bring changes to these high schools to secure educational diversity. For three to four years from 2008, the ministry will inspect those schools to find out if they manage curricula to that purpose. If not, those schools will then have to recruit new students within their school districts.”

There are 31 foreign language high schools across the country with 20 in Seoul, Busan and Gyeonggi Province. An average of 28 percent of students, 75 percent in some cases, are from other districts. This causes fierce competition among schools in various regions to recruit talented students. Meanwhile, students from these schools will face disadvantages in the college entrance examination in 2008, if they apply for non-language majors.

A ministry official said, “The policy was wrong in the first place. Outstanding students naturally want to study at schools with a good educational environment in Seoul, Busan or Gyeonggi Province. Only about 30 percent apply for language majors at colleges.” This means most of these high schools have failed to fulfill their original purpose.

Nam Bong-chul, principal of Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies in Gyeonggi Province, stressed that those high schools were established to make up for the school standardization policy. He said, “These high schools have trained elite students. They are distinguishing themselves in various fields. All such high schools were allowed to recruit new students from across the country. A sudden change of policy will harm student interests.”

Opinions are divided. Some express worries that education might not train elites for the country. Others support the ministry’s policy, citing these schools’ failure to fulfill their purpose.

Education should be a farsighted program of the country. If bent on achieving short-term results, the government might cause irreparable harm to future leaders. The government should implement educational policies from a long-term viewpoint.