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1. President Pledges Reform in College Entrance System

President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday the administration will ``normalize'' college education before taking any action to solve problems in elementary, middle and high schools, indicating an overhaul of the state-run college entrance exam.

Lee, however, made it clear that the government will refrain from intervening in the way universities choose new students, saying, ``Universities should decide on their own paths for themselves, not by the government.''

Lee made the remarks in a meeting with presidents of 14 major private and state universities at the Sangchunjae guest house inside Cheong Wa Dae, which is mainly used for receptions for foreign VIPs.

``The reason I invited you here is to show my respect for you and your authority,'' Lee said. ``You lead the way (in forming school policies). The government will fully cooperate.''

Lee said the government will focus on upgrading college education because doing so will also affect lower education institutions. Educational reform will emerge as the top of national agenda after the country gets out of the current economic trouble, he said.

The message indicates the government will ensure independence of universities in forming policies on student recruitment and school tuition and, at the same time, push for reform in public education and the state-run admission test, a presidential spokesman said.

It is also a major departure from educational policies under former President Roh Moo-hyun, who sought a stronger grip on private universities through state subsidies and disciplinary measures.

Lee and the university presidents discussed a wide range of educational issues, such as rising household burden on private tutoring and the recent protests by students over the fast growth of school expenses, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

Ewha Womans University President Lee Bae-yong told Lee that universities will adopt a joint statement next month ``to show our resolution to people and society to make a fundamental change in the right direction in the college entrance system for students.''

In a rally in Seoul, progressive civic groups called for universities to address the issues of soaring private education costs and school tuition and increase transparency in the use of school funds, saying it is immoral to demand autonomy while turning a blind eye to such issues.

jj@koreatimes.co.kr

2. Three-No Policy Needs to Go

By Moon So-youn
Global Student Reporter

Since President-elect Lee Myung-bak, who has pledged to abolish the so-called ``three no policy,'' won the 17th president election on Dec. 19, the policy has became a hot-button issue once again.

The ``three-no policy'' refers to government measures forbidding universities from managing their own admission exams, ranking students based on their high schools and accepting donations for student admissions.

Statistics show that 43.2 percent of people surveyed support the abolishment of the policy, while 33.6 percent of those said the ``three-nos'' should be maintained.

The statistics indicate that, almost half of Koreans want to abolish the policy. Therefore, the new government should abolish the ``three nos'' in accordance with public opinion.

Some people insist that school admission in exchange for money donation goes against the principle of equal opportunity. This allegation is seemingly plausible but not ultimately right.

Under the system, wealthy children can choose any university to which they register regardless of their scholastic ability. But they can't graduate from universities if they fail to earn enough credits to graduate.

Namely, money-for-admission system would not bring about any unreasonable advantage for those who don't have the ability to graduate. Therefore, the donation-for-school entry system doesn't go against the principals of equity and impartiality.

The surging registration fee of most Korean universities has become a hot-button issue for several years. If the government allows universities to grant admission to a student paying certain amount of money, Korean universities won't have to increase registration fees anymore.

Also, school authorities will be able to give more studying opportunity to students suffering from financial hardship by using funds raised by the policy.

Some prominent universities such as Harvard University where student registration fees account for about 12 percent of its annual budget have conducted the system, resulting in easing students' financial burden.

Meanwhile, student registration fees account for more than 70 percent of the budget in most Korean universities. Korean universities should introduce the donation-for-school entry system in order to lighten the burden of expensive registration fees imposed on students and make better school conditions.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has advised the Korean government to allow universities to administer their own entrance exams, alleging that universities' right to select their students without governmental control must be protected by law.

But the incumbent administration did not follow the advice, sticking to the ``three-no policy.'' There are still many people who believe the current university entry exam should evaluate students' abilities in math, English and Korean language.

But I disagree. What the test should evaluate is students' creative power, eyes for the future and their potential.

Korean students have wasted their time, money and energy studying many subjects which are not connected with their final goals but they have to study to get good grades at the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

If the system is discontinued, students won't need to waste their money, time and energy and will be able to build a solid foundation of what they have interest before entering a university.

Most teachers in high schools complain that it is hard to teach students under the standardized schooling system, alleging individual differences among students. If the government introduces ``high school ranking system.'' teachers will be able to teach their students more efficiently.

Students tend to lose their interests in learning when the standard of education doesn't fit their scholastic ability. If the standard is so high, students who can't catch up with the level will lose their interest in studying and no longer be challenged in the classroom. The government has to do their best to prevent students from losing their interests in studying.

Some reports said the scholastic ability of Korean students has lowered since the high school equalization system took effect. Namely, the equalization doesn't mean upward equalization but downward equalization.

If this tendency continues, the ability of Korean students as a whole will decrease and Korea won't be able to survive in an age of global competition due to the lack of skilled people.

Alvin Toffler, a famous futurologist and an economist, said that the nation that succeeds in reforming its education system and cultivating more talented people would replace America and be world leaders. .

I hope that the new government will do their best to turn the old education system into the new one that can cultivate talented people who have strong creative power and are specialized in their fields.

thdusnlgod@naver.com

Moon So-youn is second-year student studying at Hyesung High School in Goeje City in South Gyeongsang Province.
Question
1. Should government have control of how universities recruit their students and
of how they are run (either directly or indirectly)? Why?
2. Will ranking students based on their high schools help students to not lose interest in studying?
(Notice that the second passage suggests that it would allow students'
individual differences will be taken more into consideration than the stadardized education would.)
3. What is your opinion on donation entrance system? Why? (Refer to points made in the second passage.)

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