SOUTH Korea’s Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak and United New Democratic Party candidate Chung Dong-young have both promised that the government would take responsibility for English education, The Chosun IIbo has reported.
Both Lee and Chung believe South Korea is suffering an English education crisis. Their promises aimed squarely at parents who were worried about the enormous expense of private English lessons and their children’s language skills. According to Lee, the government must take the initiative in lightening the burden for parents by halving the expense of private English education. Chung also pointed out that the amount of money parents could afford to give their children a better English education was leading to widening gaps in academic degrees, careers, personal status, and eventually social strata. “I promise to open an era of ‘happy families’ once the government resolves this issue,” he said.
Lee pledged to train 3,000 English teachers who can conduct classes in English for schools across the country every year, to secure more native speakers as assistant teachers and to take advantage of English-proficient college students. He envisaged teachers conducting all classes in English — not just English language classes — on a step-by-step basis. He was also considering expanding international school zones, as in Singapore and Dubai, where students and teachers would speak only English on campus.
Chung said he would establish English language classes at all of the 12,000 elementary and secondary schools across the country if elected. English language classes would be conducted mainly as after-school classes using the current school classrooms, and each school would have one native speaker and three English-proficient teachers. He pledged to abolish the English test of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) with the purpose of encouraging English-speaking education. The CSAT English test would be replaced by a state-authorized English certification test that would be introduced in 2009, he said.
Lee’s aides said Lee would raise the funds by saving money from the government budget, raising special educational funds and collecting private donations. Meanwhile Chung’s aides said funding would come from greater tax revenues in the wake of economic growth, and shortages would be met by readjusting budgets allocated for the industrial and financial sectors. 21ST
