Organizational Framework

The education administration consists of three layers of authority: the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOEHRD) at the national level, the supervisors of education at the metropolitan and provincial level; and the district boards of education.

MOEHRD plans and coordinates national education policies, works out drafts of elementary, secondary and higher education policies, publishes and approves grade school text-books, provides administrative and financial support for all levels of schools, supports local educational agencies and national universities, operates the teacher training system and is responsible for lifelong education and developing human resource policies.

The ministry has two special offices, four bureaus, four councils and 32 divisions. Subsidiary organizations which fall under the direct supervision of the ministry are as follows: the National Institute of Korean History, the National Institute for International Education Development, the Appeal Commission for Teachers, and the Korea Institute for Special Education. MOEHRD also supervises the National Academy of Sciences.

In response to the heightened concern for diverse needs of education and the skills they require, local boards of education, which are separate from regional supervisors, have been established in seven major cities and nine provinces, as well as county boards of education in smaller administrative areas.

Boards of education deliberate and approve major decisions on educational programs and extra curricular activities. Seven to 15 education council members, elected from local school committees, form each board. Members of the school committees vote on supervisors, whose term of office is four years.

Educational Budgets

The education budget is a key factor that affects the quality of education, educational environment and commitment to educational reform. There are three levels of educational budgets: the central government budget, local government budget, and private educational funds.

The central government education budget provides funding for boards of education, which manages elementary and secondary school education, the operating budget of national universities, partial support for private universities, and for educational administration and research organizations. The central government's education budget comes from the national budget. The size of the central government's 2002 education budget is 22.3 trillion won (about US$20 billion), which is 19.6 percent of the nation's total budget of 113.9 trillion won (about US$100 billion).

Local government education funds are spent to support elementary and secondary school education; the financial resources are 83 percent from the central government (including subsidy, concession fund, internal tax, and support fund) and 17 percent from the local government. The total revenue for the 16 provincial and metropolitan education authorities in 2002 was 23.42 billion won (about US$0.20 billion).

Private schools exist at every level of education from elementary schools to colleges. Almost 80 percent of junior colleges and universities are private schools. The funding sources for private schools include tuition income, support from national or regional governments, and resources from school foundations. Reliance on tuition at such institutions remains high.



School System

The school system in the Republic of Korea consists of one to three-year pre-schools and kindergartens, six-year elementary schools, three-year middle schools, three-year high schools, and four-year colleges and universities, which also offer graduate courses leading to Ph.D. degrees. There are also two- to three-year junior colleges and vocational colleges. Elementary schooling is compulsory with an enrollment rate of nearly 100 percent. Three more years of compulsory middle school education have been implemented nationwide since 2002.

Education System

Although preschool education is not yet compulsory, its importance has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Preschool education is regarded as very important in terms of helping pull up the low birth rate, resolving social polarization, and allowing a greater number of women to work outside the home.

The number of kindergartens in Korea grew from 901 in 1980 to 8,275 in 2005. Since 1999, the government has carried out a nationwide project to subsidize education fees for five-year-olds from low-income families. This was followed by a sliding scale subsidy for three- to four-year-olds in 2004 and a program to support education fees for households with two or more children. These measures have provided underprivileged children increased opportunities for preschool education, establishing a more equitable educational environment.

The average number of students per teacher in elementary schools stood at 58.8 in 1960. The average was reduced to 34.9 in 2002 and 34.5 in 2003. This figure was further cut to 26.2 in 2004. Elementary school teacher candidates are required to graduate from a four-year teacher's university or to obtain an undergraduate degree in primary education from either Ewha Womans University or the Korea National University of Education.

Upon completion of elementary school, children in the 12 to 14 age group enter middle school for the seventh to ninth grades. The student-teacher ratio for middle schools in 2004 was 19:1, while the comparable figure for 1975 was 43.2:1.

There are two types of high schools in the Republic: general and vocational. Applicants for vocational high schools (covering agriculture, engineering, commerce, maritime studies and home economics) are admitted through examinations administered by each school. The curriculum at vocational high schools is usually 40-60 percent general courses with the remainder being vocational. As of 2005, there were 713 vocational high schools with 503,104 students. Among general high schools, there are several specialized high schools in the arts, physical education, science, and foreign languages. The goal of these schools is to provide appropriate education for students with special talents in these fields.


Courses at general high schools tend to center around preparation for entering universities. As of 2005, there were 1,382 general high schools with 1.25 million students. Combining the two types of high schools, the ratio of middle school graduates advancing to high school was 99.7 in 2004.

The seventh national curriculum, revised in 1997, introduces ten basic common subjects, individual projects and special activities that cover the ten years from the first year of elementary school through the first year of high school. It also includes new elective subjects for the final two years of high school that are designed to provide students greater direction in discovering their aptitudes and more choices in determining their future careers.

In 2000, the revised curricula were put into effect, beginning with kindergartens and the first and second grades of elementary schools. In 2001, the third and fourth grades of elementary school as well as the first year of middle school adopted the curricula. In 2002, they were followed by the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, the second year of middle school and first year of high school. In 2003, the curriculum was expanded to the third year of middle school and the second year of high school, and by 2004, high school seniors were also learning from the new curriculum.

There are several different types of institutions of higher learning in the Republic: colleges and universities with four-year undergraduate programs (six years for medical and dental colleges), four-year teachers' universities, two-year junior colleges, a broadcasting and correspondence university, open universities, and miscellaneous schools with college status with two- or four-year programs. As of 2005, there were 419 institutions of higher learning in Korea, with a total of 3.55 million students and 66,862 faculty members.

Colleges and universities in Korea operate under strict enrollment limits. In selecting students, colleges and universities make use of the student's high school records and national standardized test results. In addition to this, since 1996, certain universities are administering a separate entrance essay test and using the test results in admission procedures.

In 2005, the ratio of high school graduates who advanced to institutions of higher learning was 88.3 percent for general high schools and 67.6 percent for vocational high schools.





Curriculum

Curriculum not only reflects the standard aims of education, but also the basis for the development of educational textbooks. Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development has the responsibility to issue guidelines for standards and contents of curriculum, but the local boards of education and schools may establish further standards and contents to reflect the needs of their districts within the purview of the curriculum set by the government.

The national curriculum is revised periodically to reflect the new educational demands, the emerging needs of the society, and the new frontiers of academic disciplines. It was revised in 1997 under the principles of strengthening elementary and basic knowledge and skills, increasing voluntary study capabilities, practicing student-centered education; and increasing autonomy at the local and school levels.

The Seventh Curriculum, revised in 1997, mandates 10 basic subjects at all levels, elective subjects and special activities during the 10 years from the elementary through the first year of high school. The elective subjects for the final two years of high school are designed to provide the students with choices, in consideration of individual differences, aptitudes and desired careers.

The new curricula were put into effect in 2000. The application of curricula in elementary schools started with the 1st and 2nd grades in 2000, followed by the 3rd and 4th grades in 2001 and by the 5th and 6th grades in 2002. It was applied to first-year middle school students in 2001 and high school freshmen in 2002.



Preschool Education

Kindergarten education is carried out at public and private kindergartens for pre-school children aged three to five. Kindergarten education aims at providing an appropriate environment for nurturing children and promoting the overall development of children through various activities, and diversified subjects and methods of instruction. The kindergarten curriculum centers on five domains: health, society, expression, language, and exploration.

Kindergarteners make paper flowers

As of 2002, there were 8,343 kindergartens with the enrollment of 550,256 children. This accounts for 26.9 percent of the kindergarten-aged children in Korea. Because of the low enrollment figures, Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development has recently developed policies to increase the availability of kindergartens and promote kindergarten education.

Since September 1999, the government has carried out the project, Supporting Kindergarten Tuition for Children from Low-Income Families, to provide the children with economic hardship with increased opportunities for preschool education. From 2002, the project was expanded to a project known as "Free Education for (an additional) 20 percent of 5-year-olds."



Elementary Education

Elementary education for children is free and compulsory in Korea and aims to provide a general education. As of 2002, there are 5,384 elementary schools and 603 branch schools in Korea, with 4,138,366 pupils studying in 118,502 classrooms that are staffed by 147,497 teachers.

Korean and Japanese elementary schools engaging in classroom exchange programs.

The government began imposing education taxes in 1982 to improve both the educational environment and raise teachers' salaries. It also launched school facility improvement projects, which led to the reduction in 2002 of the average class size to 34.9 students per classroom. The government has also expanded foreign language instruction, enabling third graders and above to study English for two hours weekly as part of formal school education programs.

The Seventh Education Curriculum requires elementary school students to complete 25-32 hours of study per week. The 10 mandatory subjects are Korean language, etiquette/manners, social studies, arithmetic, natural science, practical skills, physical education, music, fine arts and foreign language.



Secondary Education

Secondary education is divided into junior high (middle) school and senior high schools.


Middle School

Upon completion of elementary school, children between the ages of 12-14 advance to middle school (7th-9th grades). The purpose of middle school is to conduct standard secondary education on the basis of elementary education. As of 2002, there are 2,809 middle schools across Korea with a total enrollment of 1,841,030.

In 1985, the government began to expand government-paid compulsory education from primary to middle schools, first in the nation's agricultural and fishery communities and gradually expanding it nationwide. The goal, of course, was to provide them with an equal opportunity to receive basic education and thus improve their personal welfare in the future. The system now covers all students across the nation who entered middle school in the spring of 2002.

The curriculum for middle school consists of ten required courses - Korean language, ethics, social studies, mathematics, natural science, practical skills (home economics), physical education, music, fine arts, and English. They study 34 hours a week, including four hours of elective subjects and two hours of extra curricula activities.


High School

Practical training at a science high school.

High school education aims to provide students with advanced general studies building on their middle school education. Middle school graduates or those with equivalent academic background may enter high school. Students study for three years at their own expenses, many preparing to pursue college education. There are three different types of high schools, "general high schools," "vocational schools," and "special skills schools."

Since the Education Act was revised in 1995, there are various new ways of selecting students for admission, including the so-called "school activities records" where the three-year middle school performance is recorded. As of 2002, most high schools in the nation select students based on "school activities records," although there are still some schools that also entrance exams.

For example, six cities and three provinces (Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Jeju-do) review only the school records of middle school graduates in high school admissions evaluation. Other regions, including Gyeonggi-do and Jeollabuk-do, evaluate both school records and high school entrance examination scores, while, in Ulsan City, the selection process depends on the examination scores alone.

As soon as individual school admission standards are introduced, small special skills schools began to appear offering courses in such areas as music, the arts as well as math and science. For those students returning home from abroad, international schools are also available. And after 1998, self-supporting "private high schools" were given the right to select students as well as to set tuition payments.

The first-year curriculum at high school centers on 10 mandatory subjects, elective courses and special activity programs. Thus 11th and 12th graders are allowed to sign up for various elective courses that fit their individual future plans.



Higher Education

There are seven categories of institutions of higher learning: 1) colleges and universities; 2) industrial universities; 3) universities of education; 4) junior colleges; 5) broadcast and correspondence universities; 6) technical colleges; and 7) other institutions.

About 80 percent of all Korean institutions of higher learning are private. In accordance with the Higher Education Act and the relevant presidential and ministerial decrees, all institutions of higher learning, whether public or private, come under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. The ministry has control over such matters as student quotas, qualifications of teaching staff, curricula and degree requirements.

University students holding a discussion at a seminar.

Higher education aims at teaching basic academic theories and their various applications needed for the progress and enlightenment of our society and the global community, and for training the nation's future leaders.

The unit for measuring the completion of each course is a credit. Each university sets, on the basis of school regulations, the requirements for the completion of each credit, the minimum number of credits necessary for graduation, the standard credits and maximum credits required each semester, the rules for special credits, and credits required for the completion of preparatory (cf. "pre-med") courses.

The curricula are composed of general and professional courses, each of which is again divided into required and elective courses. There were only 19 institutions of higher education on entire Korea at the time of liberation in 1945. In 2002, the number of such institutions in South Korea has increased to 1,303 with a total of 3,577,447 students and 59,750 faculty members.


Entrance Examination

The knowledge-based society of the 21st century, called the information era, demands development of diverse abilities and creative human resources. Therefore, entry into colleges or universities is allowed through examining a variety of factors and indices that can measure students' qualifications and potential.

During the final year of high school, students take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The CSAT is an examination administered on high school graduates in order to measure the analytical abilities required to successfully complete post secondary education. The test consists of four sections: verbal section (Korean language); math and inquiry I section; math & inquiry II section; foreign language section. The CSAT tests each student's general knowledge of subjects and not his or her knowledge of specialized subjects.

The CSAT score, in conjunction with the student's high school record and other elements, such as extra-curricular activity hours, essays, in-depth interview, and so on, are considered comprehensively by colleges and universities to determine admission. Basically, each college or university determines the factors or elements to apply in the student selection procedures. Each college or university also recruits students in two phases: an early admission and a regular procedures. Consequently, students are guaranteed several opportunities for entry in an academic year.


Junior College

Junior colleges are two or three-year post-secondary programs, and they are a direct outgrowth of the increasing demand for technical manpower due to rapid industrialization. They are the product of a merger between two-year junior colleges and two- or three-year professional high schools. Since the new system was introduced in 1979, the number of junior colleges has grown to 159 as of 2002 with an enrollment of 963,129. They now play a major role as short-term higher education institutions. The purpose of junior college education is to produce mid-level technical manpower that can contribute to national development through teaching and researching technical knowledge in every field of society.

The specialized courses of junior colleges are grouped into professional majors such as humanities and social studies, natural sciences, engineering, arts, physical education, and paramedical studies that take two to three years of study. Nine majors including nursing, mechanics courses, and fisheries take three years and the other majors require two years of study.

To achieve their educational goals, junior colleges develop and operate practical on-site training curriculum through "school-industry cooperative" programs and "vocational specialty" training plans and job sheets. Specialty is stressed as part of preparations for the National Certification Examination.

Junior college education is highly valued in Korea as it offers student internships, industry field training for faculty members, education for mid-career industry employees, joint college/industry research programs and exchanges of techniques and information, operation of industry/college cooperation committees, and curriculum development at the request of industries.


University

Universities offer four- or six-year courses, the latter including medical and dental colleges. University education aims to "stimulate the search for truth" and promote advanced knowledge as well as to prepare students for leadership roles in Korea and the world. Universities have shown a great deal of quantitative and qualitative growth in the present decade. As of 2002, there are 197 universities attended by a total of 2,350,871 students, which includes those enrolled in correspondence course programs.

A student who has completed 130-140 credit units or more is awarded a bachelor's degree (except in medicine and dentistry). There are over 600 fields of study, including literature, theology, fine arts, music, law, political science, economics, business administration, commerce, physics, home economics, physical education, engineering, medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, public health and nursing, pharmacology, agricultural science, veterinary medicine, and fisheries. However, course selection varies according to individual institutions.

The university curricula consist of required courses and electives. One course credit is given to a lecture/class course meeting one hour per week for more than 15 weeks. International students and foreign students of Korean origin are welcome and may be admitted at any level and at any school. All those who have a high school diploma or its equivalent are eligible for admission to undergraduate programs.


Graduate School

The Higher Education Act stipulates that a university must have one or more graduate schools offering research-oriented courses for graduate students who aspire to pursue academic or professional careers. As of 2002, there were 139 general graduate schools attached to universities, 806 professional graduate schools, and the total enrollment in graduate courses in Korea was 262,867, and 226,942 of them were in the master's degree programs.

In general, the minimum requirement for a master's degree is 24 credits, normally achieved in four semesters by daytime students and five semesters by night students. The minimum requirement for a doctorate is 60 credits including 24 credits for gaining a master's degree, which usually takes three years to earn. Those who complete the required number of credits and pass two foreign language examinations, as well as Ph.D. comprehensive examinations are entitled to write dissertations.



Special Education

Special education for students with disabilities offers academic education, clinical education, and vocational transition education through special curriculum, instructional methods, and educational media to meet their special needs. As of 2002, there were 136 special schools in Korea with a total enrollment of 23,453. They include 12 schools for students with visual impairments, 16 for students with hearing impairments, 19 for students with physical impairments, 82 for the students with mental retardation, and seven for students with psychological problems. In addition, 26,975 students with disabilities are given special education in 3,968 special classes in regular schools.

Besides offering general education programs, these schools provide vocational transition programs designed to prepare students for productive employment and independent life. MOEHRD sponsors an annual training competition and transition programs. In 1994 the Korea Institute for Special Education (http://www.kise.go.kr) was opened to take charge of practical research in special education, development and distribution of teaching-learning materials, and in-service training teachers for special education.