The number of those registered to take the annual college entrance exam fell to its lowest level in history this year, while the proportion of repeat takers rose to the highest.  According to the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the number of applicants for the College Scholastic Aptitude Test, or the Suneung, reached 493,433, down 55,301 from 548,734 a year earlier. It is the lowest figure since the national exam was introduced in 1994. Taking place once a year, the Suneung

Schools in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will resume in-person classes Monday after South Korea eased its social distancing measures in the capital region. To minimize the risk of infection in classrooms, kindergartens and elementary and middle schools must limit attendance to one-third of the student body until Oct. 11, and high schools must limit attendance to two-thirds, the Education Ministry said. For the next several months, the measures will also apply to high school seniors und

The Ministry of Education isn’t replying right away, after the Seoul City education chief suggested that first grade elementary and middle school students be allowed back into classrooms full-time. Instead, the ministry is waiting until the end of the Chuseok holiday to make a decision. An Education Ministry official said in a closed briefing with reporters Thursday that the ministry respects the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s request but is unwilling to rush any decision

Schools in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will resume in-person classes next week as South Korea has eased its social distancing measures in parts of the country, the Education Ministry announced Tuesday. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said in a press briefing that kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools there will allow students to return to classrooms from Sept. 21. The decision was made after Korea lowered the social distancing restrictions in the capital region from the

Sejong University in Seoul ranked ninth among South Korean universities in the 2021 world university rankings from the Times Higher Education, the college announced Monday. The UK institution for higher education moved Sejong University up one notch compared with last year’s evaluation. Its standing among 1,527 universities in 93 countries climbed from 401st-500th place last year to 301st-350th place this year. The World University Rankings evaluates universities every year on 13 criteri

The Ministry of Education said Sunday it would provide an artificial intelligence-based mathematics program to elementary schools across the country, starting Monday. This marks the first time the country will incorporate AI technology in school curriculum. The AI-base program which is designed for the first and second grade students at elementary schools features a system that recommends educational content that matches the learning level of each student after analyzing their ability to perf

South Korea will see a wider variety of e-textbooks offered for elementary school students with the government’s plan to allow more options to schools and students. The Ministry of Education announced Friday that it plans to open up development and selection of social studies and science digital textbooks for third grade to sixth grade students to private publishers and have them government-authorized. At present, such e-textbooks are developed, published and distributed by the governmen

North London Collegiate School Jeju has produced its best batch of graduates ever, despite uncertainties and difficulties stemming from the coronavirus. The international school on Jeju Island, with English as its language of instruction, said its latest batch of graduates who left school in June reached the highest level of academic proficiency and college advancement in the school’s history, overcoming challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With a 100 percent pass rate, the class of 20

Yeonsu-gu, a district located in Incheon, has started preparing to host the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities held by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, slated for October 2021. The conference will be held at Songdo Convensia for three days, with some 5,000 guests from around the world. Representatives from 197 UNESCO Lifelong Learning member countries and 174 UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities member cities from 55 different countries are set to take part in the

College hopefuls struggle to focus amid admission uncertainty from COVID-19 resurgence

High school education will be free for all students in South Korea starting next year with expanded budget support. This would make education free for all primary, middle and high school students. The Ministry of Education said Tuesday that it was seeking a budget of 76.3 trillion won ($64.48 billion) for 2021, up 0.8 percent, or 601.5 billion won, from the 75.7 trillion won allotted this year. The proposed budget, set for a parliamentary review later this week, would increase spending on hig

Seoul Foreign School has been recognized for its architectural design that promotes unique learning experiences. The Seoul-based independet international school announced Tuesday that its high school building, designed by New York-based Ennead Architects, was awarded an International Distinguished Building, Landscape Architecture, and Urbanism Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. The SFS building will be featured in “Global Design + Urbanism XX: New Interna

Virus forces schools to backpedal on in-person class plans in new semester

With schools expected to continue mostly online in the fall, worries grow over a widening achievement gap

South Korea saw five new special schools open in the year ending March 31, the largest yearly increase in seven years, with new additions in Seoul, Incheon, Gangwon Province and South Chungcheong Province. Special schools are tailored to the needs of students with physical, intellectual and emotional disabilities.  According to the Ministry of Education on Sunday, the number of special schools in Korea marked 182 as of April 1. The increase is the largest since 2013, when seven new special