[Jeong Gyu-young's Presidential Election and College Admission①] Speaking about Education to the President of the Republic of Korea

Editor's NoteWe are running a series of expert contributions aimed at improving the structural problems of education in the Republic of Korea and suggesting necessary policy directions. This is a proposal from Jung Kyu-young, president of the nonprofit organization 'Studying Athletes, Exercising Students.' President Jung studied at Stanford Graduate School in the United States and served as the president of the university's fencing association. He analyzed the selection process of outstanding students from various countries overseas and the elementary, middle, and high school education curricula these students completed. Based on this, since 2008, he has been promoting an educational system that combines study and exercise, as well as scholarship projects, to establish the American education system and school sports system domestically. Drawing on his experience, he plans to discuss stories worth referencing in domestic public education and university entrance examination systems. Editor's Note

Jeong Gyu-young, President of the Nonprofit Organization 'Studying Athletes, Exercising Students'

As the presidential election approaches, candidates present various pledges in politics, economy, society, and other fields to win voters' support. Education, which is often called a century-long plan, is one of them. Nevertheless, it has been difficult to find education policies in Korea that look ahead 100 years. The candidates running in the 20th presidential election are no exception.

Our country has set a total of nine years of compulsory education, consisting of six years of elementary school and three years of middle school. It is said that Korea is the only country among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations that does not designate high school as part of compulsory education. Additionally, the high school equalization policy, which has become a rationale for social integration policies to practically guarantee the constitutionally guaranteed right to equal educational opportunities and minimize social discrimination caused by education, is criticized for generally lowering the quality of education.

It is truly regrettable whether the minimum curriculum received through compulsory education has been confused with the totalitarian idea that all students must receive the same education, or whether this confusion has been deliberately feigned. The government budget required to raise the quality of education once it has declined is astronomical.

Elementary, middle, and high school education has the most significant impact on the culture, common sense, attitudes toward life, and physical and mental health of the youth, who are the future leaders of our country. If children receive incorrect ideological or character education, they may lack social skills, have insufficient understanding of culture and history, and risk weakening national identity and cultural competitiveness. Furthermore, failure to develop basic physical strength may lead to enormous future health insurance costs, among many other negative consequences that are difficult to enumerate.

The university entrance examination system is what ultimately determines the curriculum and quality of elementary, middle, and high school education. Depending on how stable and consistent an entrance examination system is over time, the curriculum, subjects, extracurricular activities, and school management methods from elementary through high school are aligned and adjusted accordingly.

Nevertheless, our entrance examination system has changed numerous times. It has changed so frequently that even a few years after graduating from high school, one cannot keep up with the changes. Unless one is an expert in entrance examinations, it has become impossible to fully understand and keep up with all these changes. Meanwhile, the government takes a critical stance on receiving help from private education entrance exam experts to understand the complex university entrance examination system and achieve good results.

With a desperate heart, I want to bring education issues to the president. First, I will point out that our high school equalization policy has more drawbacks than benefits and discuss how the policy should be revised and supplemented. Many students enter international schools and study abroad during their elementary, middle, and high school years, especially in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. It is important to understand that this is not merely escape study abroad or simply to learn English. At the same time, we must accurately identify and improve the reasons why very few students study abroad from foreign countries to Korean elementary, middle, and high schools. This should be the direction in which Korean compulsory education must change. Furthermore, I will mention the fundamental reasons and solutions for the current issues of youth character and the decline of school authority. I will also suggest what kind of educational curriculum and extracurricular activities are necessary.

Ultimately, I intend to focus on our university entrance examination system. Rather than what is wrong, I will suggest directions for how it should be changed going forward. The university entrance examination system should not change every time the administration or the Minister of Education changes. It is the most important policy that determines the future of the nation. I plan to consider the trial and error experienced by the domestic university entrance examination system and successful cases abroad to devise a system best suited to our reality. I will also propose ways to improve the quality of education autonomously without relying solely on government budgets.

The quality of a country's education and the status of its educational institutions are proportional to the nation's competitiveness. We have risen from one of the poorest countries to a major economic power in just half a century. On the other hand, what about the status of our universities? None of Korea's major universities ranked within the top 100 in the 2022 World University Rankings recently announced by the US news magazine US News & World Report. Seoul National University ranked 130th, Sungkyunkwan University 230th, and Korea University 272nd. It is ironic that among our university students are many of the world's top talents, yet the universities educating them do not even rank within the top 100 worldwide.

I believe that what matters more than who becomes president is what kind of education policy the president will implement. This will determine the future of our education and, ultimately, our nation. I hope that the proposals I present with firm determination will be reflected in pledges and policies.

Jung Kyu-young, President of the nonprofit organization Studying Athletes, Exercising Students and CEO of Lorus Enterprise