The Education Ministry’s plan to emphasize personality evaluations in college entrance has sparked confusion in education circles, with the abrupt cancellation of a government briefing on Monday adding to the uncertainty.

Less than two hours before the scheduled time, the ministry canceled a press briefing on how it would seek to expand the use of personality evaluations in the college admission process. The recently appointed vice minister of education, Kim Jae-choon, was to announce the government’s official position on the issue.

“The general consensus around the ministry was that we need to gather more public opinion before announcing our position,” explained a ministry official.

Kim acknowledged the reporters’ inconvenience but did not elaborate.

But the ministry was unable to provide even a rough outline of the briefing upon inquiry on Monday morning, raising doubts about whether the officials had a firm grasp of the issue.

Reporters were notified about the briefing just two days in advance ― unusually short notice for a press meeting on such an important issue. Furthermore, meetings held by such high-ranking officials are seldom canceled at the last minute.

Another ministry official said Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea had not yet reviewed the content, and that he would mull things over during the Lunar New Year’s holiday. He added that officials may have hastily scheduled the briefing in the hope that Hwang would have had time to study the plans during the weekend.

The Education Ministry rolled out plans last month to gradually expand the role of personality evaluations in the college admissions process, particularly for teaching courses. The move came after a spate of child abuse cases raised concerns about the ethics of teachers and child care workers.

The initial response was a flurry of complaints by teachers and students, who were perplexed about having to deal with another admissions process. Authorities explained that they were not creating a new model for college admissions, but were simply looking to accredit colleges that use personality tests effectively and expand that model to other schools.

But few parents were reassured by the ministry’s explanation. Only 8.7 percent of Korean adults said they had faith in the government’s education policy, according to a survey results announced last week by the Korean Educational Development Institute.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)