"Regional University Graduates to Receive the Same Diploma as Seoul National University Students"
CSAT to Be Improved to a Pass/Fail Qualification Exam Only
Educational organizations are continuously presenting key education issues that they believe should be included in the 21st presidential election pledges. This appears to be due to concerns that, with the presidential election being held urgently following a vacancy in the presidency, already weak education pledges may be pushed even further down the list of priorities.
On April 24, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, where it will announce a list of ten major demands, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) digital textbooks as educational materials, the abolition of the high school credit system, and the implementation of compulsory education for five-year-olds.
Among these, the proposal for a joint degree system among national universities is drawing particular attention. The main idea is to allow students at regional flagship national universities to share infrastructure such as academic advisors and major courses at Seoul National University, and to receive a joint degree upon graduation. This would enable students graduating from regional universities to receive the same diploma as those from Seoul National University.
This proposal was also included in the "Education Reform Plan" previously announced by the Seoul National University Faculty Association. As a concrete measure to address the problems of the "ranking-based" education system, the association proposed a joint degree program with regional flagship universities. Since Seoul National University, a key stakeholder, is taking the initiative, there is growing optimism within the education community about the feasibility of this proposal.
The KTU has also called for the current College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) to be transformed into a university entrance "qualification exam" and administered using absolute grading. This is similar to the Seoul National University Faculty Association's proposal to turn the CSAT into a qualification test. The association suggested strengthening the question bank for the CSAT, making it similar to the SAT in the United States, and holding the exam three to four times a year. They also proposed that either the highest score or the average score be used in university admissions. The KTU's proposal is slightly different: instead of scoring the CSAT, they suggest dividing the results into two categories, "PASS" or "FAIL," to simply determine whether a student qualifies.
Choi Sunjeong, spokesperson for the KTU, stated, "We are proposing that if a student scores above 70 out of 100, they pass, and with this qualification (CSAT result), they can enter university in any year they wish."
On the same day, the group World Without Worries About Private Education (Sageoksae) will also announce its ten major education policy pledges for the presidential election at its Yongsan office in the morning, covering six areas: resolving educational inequality, early childhood education, reducing the burden of private education, policies for elementary, middle, and high school education, and improving the culture of discrimination based on academic background and credentials.
Sageoksae stated, "Education reform is a core national agenda item that the next administration must address in order to solve critical national issues such as the ultra-low birthrate and social polarization."
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