Ministry concerned over 10th graders` rally

As 10th-grade students plan a candelit vigil tomorrow to protest the new university admission system, the Education Ministry is worried that the demonstration will deepen distrust over its new policy.

Students say the new admission system will create even more stiff competition among students as it requires schools to grade students on a relative scale and allows only a limited number of students to obtain certain grades.

The 10th-grade students, who will be the first to experience the new system, will gather in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, at 6 p.m. for a candlelit vigil that will also remember youngsters who have committed suicide.

The organizer "Hope," a youth civic group, said 10 students were reported to have killed themselves in April, the major cause being the harsh competition of the university admission system.

"In Korean education, two monsters drive students to suicide. One is a monster called examinations and the other is violence and bullying at schools," Hope said in a news release.

"The two monsters, which seem separate, in fact come from the same root: the distorted Korean education system which alienates friends and forces them to compete."

As angry high school students encourage their peers to participate in the vigil via text-messages and notices on Internet bulletin boards, the government is taking all possible measures to prevent them attending the rally. The Education Ministry sent an official document to 292 high schools in Seoul to advise high school students not to attend the rally.

The new university entrance plan aims to normalize public education by encouraging universities to put more weight on in-school grades in the admission process. According to the plan, the ministry asks teachers to grade students on a relative scale in an attempt to prevent inflated grades and make scores reliable for universities.

Students, however, complain they have to compete for the limited seats from first to 10th grade. "The school is a war-like atmosphere. We do not lend our notebooks to friends. There were several thefts of notebooks and textbooks during the mid-term test," said a 10th grade female student in Incheon, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo said yesterday the new plan leads a positive change in schools as students focus more on classes.

The ministry will urge universities to announce their admission plans next month, three months ahead of the usual schedule, to lessen uncertainty among university hopefuls.

(hjjin@heraldm.com)



By Jin Hyun-joo