The Korea Herald

EPIK to hire 550 more native English teachers

Feb 19, 2014

The National Institute for International Education (NIIED) has announced it will recruit 550 new native English speakers for the forthcoming spring semester at elementary and middle schools across the nation.The NIIED, an international education agency under the Ministry of Education, has attracted foreign teachers from English speaking countries since 2007 to help improve the English conversation skills of students and Korean teachers. The English-speaking teachers come from Canada, England, Au
[Eye on English] Language learning: The earlier the better?

Feb 19, 2014

Experts note that age is not only factor in achieving English proficiency
[Eye on English] Europe’s little country that could

Feb 19, 2014

English as a nation’s competitive advantage
Assembly panel passes bill banning ‘advanced learning’

Feb 18, 2014

A parliamentary committee on Tuesday passed a special bill that aims to prohibit Korean students from taking courses beyond their regular academic schedule mostly via private education ― a practice known here as “advanced learning.”The new bill, proposed by Rep. Kang Eun-hee of the Saenuri Party and Rep. Lee Sang-min of the Democratic Party, is expected to add weight to President Park Geun-hye’s policy of promoting public education.Last Thursday, Park voiced concern against what is called “exces
Korea to make English easier on college entrance test

Feb 13, 2014

South Korea’s Education Ministry said Thursday that it would lower the level of difficulty of English tests in the annual college entrance exam as part of its effort to curb surging private education fees.The plan was announced at the ministry’s policy briefing to President Park Geun-hye, who called for fundamental changes to the demand for “excessive English education” in Korea. “I believe that we need to have a fundamental solution to the education reality where excessive English education is
Schools take baby steps for no-test semester

Feb 13, 2014

Test-run of free-learning semester shows prospects, problems in store for its nationwide rollout
‘Teaching kids ways to care for others’

Feb 13, 2014

Child education expert stresses the importance of passing on culture of sharing to kids
[Eye on English] Should English be an official language of Korea?

Feb 12, 2014

Korea’s zeal for education is often credited with playing a major role in the growth of its economy.However, there are some serious concerns about its side effects, such as the heavy burden it poses on students and the rising cost of private education.In particular, Koreans are very much into learning and studying English as a foreign language, and this has led to children spending long hours in after-school lessons. The Seoul government has been trying to slam the brakes on this English fever.T
[Eye on English] ‘English is already part of everyday life in Korea’

Feb 12, 2014

A huge debate was ignited by Bok Geo-il’s proposal to make English an official language in 1998. His proposal to replace Korean with English as an official language was destined to be heavily attacked, especially by the opponents who argued that it would threaten national identity. In addition, another main criticism against the idea is that not everyone should be spending time and energy learning English if their jobs do not require it, since Korea is a monolingual society. It is doubtful wheth
[Graphic News] Public satisfaction in education on decline

Feb 9, 2014

Public satisfaction in school education is declining while concerns over students’ weakening ethics are on the rise, a survey showed Sunday. On the Korean Educational Development Institute’s survey of 2,000 citizens, public education received 2.49 out of a possible 5 points in overall satisfaction, a 0.41-point drop from 2012. The rate has been on the decline since 2010, when it was 3.09. About 13 percent of the surveyed answered that education was underperforming, double from 2012. Respondents
Elite high schools dominate admission to top university

Feb 6, 2014

South Korea’s elite high schools widened their lead over regular high schools in sending students to the country’s top university, a report showed Thursday, renewing concerns about the sagging competitiveness of the broader education system for students who belong to low and mid-income households. Of the 17 high schools that sent 30 or more graduates to Seoul National University this year, five were autonomous private high schools and 13 others were special-purpose schools like foreign language
NLCS Jeju celebrates 1st batch of graduates

Feb 6, 2014

NLCS Jeju, an international school in Jeju Global Education City, said it looks to produce its first class of graduates in June this year, most of whom had been accepted at universities overseas.Of the 56 students expected to graduate, 52 hope to enter a college outside of the country. According to the school, 47 of them have already received an approval for early admission. NLCS Jeju boasted that 38 students had been accepted at 47 universities listed in the Top 200 QS World University Rankings
[Eye on English] Test scores don’t guarantee English skills

Feb 5, 2014

Korea’s exam-driven education system does little to help students actually use English
[Eye on English] ‘English exam should change to focus on communication’

Feb 5, 2014

An English education expert called for a major change in the English section of the 2-decade-old state college entrance exam to encourage test-takers to focus more on their communication skills.Kim Tae-young, a professor at Chung-Ang University, stressed the change is vital, particularly when Korea is transforming into a creative participant in global affairs from a passive follower of what advanced countries have already imposed on the world.“The current college entrance exam does not test spea
Once-thriving art, music institutes struggle

Feb 3, 2014

Korea’s lopsided education fever driving out private education for art and music