On the 16th, the Enforcement Decree of the 'Basis for Retention' Approved at the Cabinet Meeting
Mandatory Selection of Local Talent and Social Integration Talent Required
The basis for maintaining foreign language high schools, autonomous private high schools, and international high schools, which the previous government had sought to convert into general high schools, has been reinstated. To alleviate concerns such as the overheating of private education resulting from this, the Ministry of Education has decided to continue the post-admission student selection system and mandate the selection of 20% local talent.
On the 16th, the Ministry of Education announced that the revision of the 'Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act' containing these details was approved at the Cabinet meeting. Earlier, in June last year, the Ministry had announced the 'Plan to Enhance Public Education Competitiveness,' stating that autonomous private high schools would be maintained and that related enforcement decrees would be revised by the end of the year.
The Ministry explained that this policy is to respect educational diversity and choice. At a briefing that day, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, said, "While introducing the high school credit system to nurture students' diverse talents and aptitudes, it is contradictory to radically integrate various types of high schools. There is a very high risk that the experiences and lessons accumulated over many years of operating specialized schools will be lost."
In response to concerns that autonomous private high schools, foreign language high schools, and international high schools cause high school hierarchy and overheating of private education, preventive measures were presented. The Ministry of Education views the 'post-admission student selection method' and the 'self-directed learning screening,' which focuses on school life diligence such as internal grades and personality interviews, as effective in curbing private education and plans to continue operating them. The high school admission schedule is divided into early selection from August to November and late selection in December. Unlike science and arts high schools that conduct early admission, autonomous private and foreign language high schools conduct late admission like general high schools to prevent the concentration of outstanding students.
The revised decree also includes mandatory selection of local talent in nationwide autonomous private high schools. According to the revised enforcement decree, autonomous private and foreign language high schools must operate social integration screening and select at least 20% local talent who are attending middle schools located in the high school's area to fulfill social responsibilities. Fifty percent of the unfilled quota from social integration screening can be selected through general screening. Kim Yeon-seok, Director of the Ministry of Education's Responsible Education Policy Office, said, "If such (mandatory selection) parts are not properly implemented, sanctions can be considered through performance evaluations and other measures."
Additionally, the basis for conducting performance evaluations to ensure autonomous private and foreign language high schools operate effectively will be restored. Education superintendents can evaluate school operation performance and, if improvement is deemed necessary, request the school to establish and implement an improvement plan.
Concerns Over 'Autonomous Private High School Concentration' Due to Relaxation of Internal Grade System
However, with the internal grade evaluation system for high school freshmen being relaxed from the existing 9-grade system to a 5-grade system starting next year, there are concerns that the concentration of top-tier students in autonomous private high schools will accelerate, solidifying high school hierarchy. Some top students currently choose general high schools fearing they might lose in internal grade competition at autonomous private high schools, but with the relaxation of the grading system, they may now prefer to attend foreign language or autonomous private high schools.
Regarding this, Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "While the internal grade system has been relaxed from 9 grades to 5 grades, at the same time, a balance has been maintained by combining absolute and relative evaluations (instead of the previous purely relative evaluation)." He explained, "Therefore, the 2028 admission plan is not a measure that favors so-called autonomous private or specialized high schools."
There is also an opinion that, since the high school credit system will be fully implemented next year, general high schools will be able to operate sufficiently diverse curricula. Deputy Prime Minister Lee emphasized, "On the contrary, because the high school credit system is applied, diversification of high schools is an inevitable choice." He added, "In advanced countries, almost all encourage very diverse schools, especially at the high school level. Korea also has experience with autonomous private and specialized high schools and started the system with the purpose of diverse schools. There is no reason to abolish them and integrate all into general high schools."
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