The Korea Herald

Doubts grow over Seoul’s IT-based Future School

Apr 10, 2014

Smart education project may fall flat without proper planning, experts and teachers say
[Eye on English] Find your goals before studying language

Apr 9, 2014

I came to Korea as an adult, speaking mostly in English. Naturally, I am more comfortable speaking English than Korean. Although I still have some challenging moments when reading and writing in Korean, I don’t have any major problems communicating with people while conducting business in Korea. When I come across an email or news article that I don’t understand, I ask my colleagues to read the lines to me out loud. Then, surprisingly, I understand the meaning and the context through their pronu
[Eye on English] Grammar study crucial to good command of English

Apr 9, 2014

Educators call for balance between grammar and communication skills
[Eye on English] How technology changes language education

Apr 2, 2014

Pros and cons of smart education scrutinized as schools set to adopt it
Korean students rank No.1 in problem solving in OECD

Apr 1, 2014

Korean students finished with the top score in computer-based problem solving among all OECD countries, the Education Ministry said Tuesday.According to the ministry, Korean students garnered an average of 561 points on the problem solving section of the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment. Their score, a point behind Singapore, was the second-highest overall and the highest of all OECD countries.As the average scores are based on a limited number of examples and had a large margin
Korea to increase support for humanities

Apr 1, 2014

The Education Ministry vowed Tuesday to double its funding to 6 billion won ($5.65 million) this year to promote humanities among the public through lectures, forums and other various events. The outlay, up from 2.9 billion won last year, reflects the government’s efforts to help revive the waning field of liberal arts. The ministry plans to hold weekly lectures by renowned scholars in fields including history, linguistics, philosophy and religion in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. It will also suppo
Students study English more than majors

Mar 30, 2014

South Korean college students spend more time studying English than they do studying for their majors, a state-run research body said Sunday.Students spent an average of 8.89 hours studying on a weekly basis, and the amount devoted to English was 3.94 hours, according to the survey by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Students set aside only 1.98 hours a week to study for classes under their academic majors. The survey, conducted on 1,123 juniors and seniors acr
Publishers halt textbook supply in price row

Mar 28, 2014

Publishers on Thursday said they would cease distribution and supply of this year’s textbooks, protesting a government order to reduce the price.Korea Authorized and Approved Textbook, a body that distributes and supplies textbooks to schools, claimed the price cut would severely affect the financial health of the publishers.“The Education Ministry is making a non-existent regulation to ‘defoliate’ educational firms and is destroying thousands of related jobs,” the KAAT said at a press conferenc
[Student Column] Education is answer to ‘creative divide’

Mar 27, 2014

A house built on sand is unstable, as is the Park administration’s “creative economy.” The term itself is very attractive, providing possible solutions to youth unemployment, the aging population and the low birth rates through new jobs. Moreover, many Koreans grew optimistic after President Park Geun-hye’s remarks at the 2014 World Economic Forum. “Since the industrial revolution, the wealth and happiness of nations, of individuals had been marked by a material divide. Recently, this has given
University restructuring scheme runs into resistance

Mar 27, 2014

Government’s plan to cut number of students faces fierce opposition
[Eye on English] TOEIC adds to stress for young job seekers

Mar 26, 2014

Experts say English shouldn’t be mandatory for jobs that don’t require English abilities
Ministry asks colleges to give young entrepreneurs a leg up

Mar 25, 2014

The government said Tuesday it had asked South Korean universities to provide programs for students looking to start businesses. In a bid to boost start-ups by young entrepreneurs, the Education Ministry’s guidelines will allow students to prepare for their start-ups while still in school.“We hope the manual will supplement the existing school systems that support business start-ups, and set the groundwork for training talented students equipped with entrepreneurship,” an official from the Educa
[Eye on English] Students practice English through debate club

Mar 19, 2014

I first joined the International Goodwill Society last year. Founded in 1960 by passionate university students who believed English was the key to global success and “the gateway to friendship,” the IGS is one of the oldest English debate clubs in Korea.Over the past five decades, IGS has held countless meetings to discuss diverse issues, and has been publishing essays in a weekly compilation called the Pigeon.IGS members meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m., alternating venues between the British Embas
[Eye on English] More Korean universities offer English-only lectures

Mar 19, 2014

It would be an understatement to say Korean students are heavily committed to studying English.They spend much more time studying the language than their peers in other OECD nations, and students learn English throughout the 12 years they spend in elementary, middle and high school, not to mention kindergarten.And as English continues to be a priority even after they enter college ― with English considered a prerequisite for landing decent jobs after graduation ― most university students here ta
Government to beef up multicultural education

Mar 16, 2014

The Korean government said Sunday it will enhance education to combat ethnic discrimination among all elementary, middle and high school students.The Education Ministry said it will spend 21.5 billion won ($20 million) this year on programs for students from multicultural families. This includes a newly introduced program aiming to teach students the importance of coexisting with people from other cultures. Some 120 schools will be funded by the government to run antidiscrimination and antipreju