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Lee Myung-bak, presidential candidate of the main opposition Grand National Party, unveiled a set of education policies centered on increasing the number of special high schools and allowing colleges and universities set their own admissions criteria. The policies, announced on October 9, are expected to stir up serious controversy in the course of the upcoming presidential election because they shake the roots of the high school standardization system and the so-called “Three Nos” guideline, both of which are at the core of the current college entrance exam system.

At a press conference yesterday, Lee said, “I will make a society in which poverty is not passed from generation to generation by providing high-quality public education.” He added that he would carry out five projects to cut household spending on private education by half, a savings of 30 trillion won per year.

Lee announced that if elected president, he would create 300 special high schools during his term. He will create 100 private high schools that are free from government intervention in terms of teacher- and student-selection and the determination of tuition and educational fees. He also plans to construct 150 public boarding high schools for underprivileged students in small cities and farm villages. In addition, he will establish 50 “meister high schools” that provide training in the fields of animation, IT and cooking and, according to Lee, improve upon existing special and professional high schools.

The former Seoul mayor also pledged to push forward a three-step plan that has the ultimate goal of allowing universities to implement their own admissions policies. The current government policy dictates the amount of weight that universities must give to the college entrance exam. The first step in this plan is to reduce this number to 20 percent and the second step is to reduce the number of subjects considered, from the current seven to four or six. The third and final step is to grant colleges and universities full control over admissions policies by 2012.

Lee was also asked whether his policy initiatives indicate that he would abolish the “Three No’s” policy of the current administration. The policy prohibits ranking high schools by performance, bars universities from administering their own admissions tests and restricts universities from taking contributions for admissions. Lee said, “The remaining two, with the exception of taking contributions for admissions, will naturally disappear when universities are free to determine their own admissions policies.”

Lee also pledged to strengthen public English-language education and said he hopes to achieve English proficiency for all high school graduates. Koreans spend an estimated 30 trillion won on privation education per year and about 15 trillion won on private English lessons per year, said Lee. About 3,000 teachers will be cultivated so that they can conduct classes in English. Lee also proposed a system of teacher-evaluation that offers a variety of incentives for high-performing teachers. The GNP estimated that the system would cost about 400 billion won annually.

Lee’s educational policies, however, are likely to face criticism as they could encourage educational polarization.

Han Man-jung, an official of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union, criticized Lee’s policies, saying that they virtually guarantee the rights of universities.

Lee is aiming to make the educational system appeal to the nation’s upper class. Lee was apparently conscious of this criticism when he told the reporters that he thought the matter would incite controversy tomorrow morning.

After the press conference, Lee took part in an educational forum and pledged 3 trillion won to fund nursing expenses for those living below the middle class.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]