Proposal for Establishment and Amendment of National Curriculum for High School Credit System
Reported at the 63rd Meeting of the National Education Commission
The National Education Commission has prepared a revised plan to set the credit completion criteria for elective courses under the high school credit system based solely on attendance rates.
On the afternoon of December 18, the commission reported its proposal for the establishment and amendment of the national curriculum related to the high school credit system at its 63rd meeting, held at the Government Complex Seoul.
The commission plans to promptly proceed with an administrative notice regarding the curriculum establishment and amendment proposal. Once the administrative notice period ends, the commission will deliberate and finalize the revision of the Ministry of Education's guidelines on credit completion criteria, as well as recommendations for follow-up measures.
The draft administrative notice stipulates in the general guidelines for elementary and secondary school curricula that, for the high school credit system, "either attendance rate or academic achievement rate, or both, must be reflected, and the criteria should be set considering educational activities and learner characteristics." It further states, "Specific details related to this will be determined according to guidelines set by the Minister of Education."
The previous regulation stated that "both attendance rate and academic achievement rate must be reflected," but the new rule has been relaxed to require at least one of the two.
Additionally, the commission reported its recommendations to the Ministry of Education. The proposed revisions to the Ministry's guidelines include reflecting both attendance rate and academic achievement rate for credit completion in common subjects under the high school credit system, but only attendance rate for elective subjects. For creative experiential activities, credit completion criteria should also be set based on attendance rate.
The high school credit system, implemented for the first time this year for first-year high school students, allows students to select and complete a variety of subjects according to their aptitudes and career paths. To graduate, students must earn a total of 192 credits over three years, including 48 credits from common required subjects, and must meet the criteria of "at least two-thirds attendance rate" and "at least 40% academic achievement rate" for each subject.
In addition, the meeting also covered the administrative notice draft for establishing and amending the national curriculum for "Healthy Life" and "Joyful Life" subjects for first and second graders in elementary school, as well as the commission's 2026 work plan.
Cha Jeongin, Chairperson of the National Education Commission, stated, "We have faithfully pursued the procedures for establishing and amending the national curriculum, taking into account the realities of schools, such as the high school credit system and the introduction of new physical activity subjects in elementary schools." He added, "We will thoroughly review public feedback collected during the administrative notice process to further enhance the quality of the curriculum."
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