Fourteen unauthorized educational facilities in Gyeonggi Province will be banned from enrolling new students and calling themselves schools unless they register themselves, the Ministry of Education said Monday.

The measure is part of the Education Ministry’s bid to rein in unauthorized schools, curb expensive school fees, and improve standards in operation, curriculum and safety.

Education offices across the country conducted a comprehensive inspection of 56 unauthorized alternative schools, following up on the ministry’s July announcement about a myriad of irregularities at some 247 alternative facilities here.

The 14 schools subject to the supervision of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will receive orders to correct the issues pointed out during the inspections. Operators of facilities that describe themselves as schools without government authorization can be subject to a maximum fine of 20 million won ($18,300) or three years in prison.

One such facility in South Jeolla Province is facing charges for illegal operations.

All 14 schools had charged an annual tuition of over 10 million won, more than five times the average fees of a Korean high school, which are about 1.8 million won.

Education officials have raised concerns about expensive unregulated facilities operating as de facto cram schools for foreign universities. While they are not recognized by Korean universities, they are accepted by several foreign-based universities, and these facilities often run a curriculum designed to prepare students exclusively for these schools.

“All unauthorized facilities will be subject to an annual inspection concerning their safety and operations. Severe actions will be taken against those refusing to comply,” a ministry official said.

These measures would include school closures.

The education office asked 31 other facilities to properly register themselves as alternative schools, while proposing to four others that they register themselves as private institutes.

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