Fulbright U.S. Education Center

The Korea Times and other local papers highlighted today’s government announcment that it intends to develop a new test that will hopefully replace much of the TOEFL exam volume in South Korea.  As announced by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, one purpose of the new test is to reduce the amount of money people spend on private cram schools and language institutes.  The new test, tentatively named the State English Aptitude Test, will be modeled on Japan’s EIKEN test, which has earned international recognition.  ”We believe, as long as we can develop a quality test, many overseas schools will accept it,” said Education Minister Ahn Byoung Man.   He further stated that he expects the new test to replace TOEIC and TOEFL in university admissions and job applications.  The government will run pilot tests between 2010 and 2011 before formally introducing the new test in 2012.

A report in today’s Korea Times about a recent survey by the National Statistical Office caught my eye.  According to a survey of 42,000 people over 15 years old from 20,000 families nationwide, 48.3 percent of those over 30 with children wanted to send them overseas to study. Among the mostly high-paid professionals or office workers, about half wanted overseas education from elementary school level.

The survey also questioned why parents wanted to send their children overseas.  A majority responded that they wanted their children to have an international sense of living, but 27.3 percent said they did not like the Korean education system; 16.6 percent wanted their children to learn in a liberal atmosphere; and 13.1 percent wanted them to learn a foreign language easily.

The government said Sunday it will expand the education budget to develop training programs for English teachers and recruit more native English-speaking teachers. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced Sunday that it will spend a total of 19.5 billion won ($15.9 million) next year, up 12.2 billion won from a year earlier, for English education programs at elementary and secondary schools.  As reported by the Korea Times, more than half of English teachers in the country are opposing next year’s planned introduction of “Teaching English in English (TEE)’’ teachers. The government plans to recruit 23,000 TEE teachers, who will conduct classes only in English, over the next five years.

There is an interesting report by Reuters today on the rapidly growing use of internet-based services that allow Korean students to talk with native-speakers of English.  The article notes that on any given day, students ranging from kids learning their alphabet to adults preparing for job interviews sign in on their Internet messengers, fire up their webcams and wait for English teachers to appear — from faraway continents.

Web English is one of the fastest growing segments in South Korea’s private English education industry, which is estimated at 15 trillion won ($13 billion) a year — almost half of the country’s annual education budget. About 150 to 200 companies are in the market offering phone and Web English tutoring.  KT Corp, South Korea’s dominant fixed-line and broadband operator, provides a service called “Hello ET” cooperating with a South Korean English education company. Internet portal SK Communications runs “Spicus” which includes a job interview drill on a video-chat platform. Applicants hand out their completed English resume before the drill. An interviewer stages a simulation interview through webcam, looking through resumes, and later provides feedback on logical speaking and communication skills.  In terms of cost, a three-times-a-week Web English course can be covered for about 100,000 won a month. ($1=1151.0 Won)

According to an article in the Korea Times, many South Korean universities are planning to shut down or downsize what they call unpopular departments in a bid to concentrate on sought-after studies and reduce their budget spending.  Konkuk University said Monday it might shut down its European Union Studies and Jewish and Middle East Studies departments from the spring semester after taking into account their poor employment rates and lukewarm response from students.The university will also downsize its Physical and Music Education departments as demand on teachers majoring in such subjects has been falling, while it will establish an English Education Department to meet the soaring demand for English-specialized teachers. Seoul National University, the nation’s No. 1 school, is considering unifying its three out-of-favor departments ㅡ the Department of Asian History, Western History.

The Korea Times reports today that Ewha Womans University will open a TESOL graduate school next March to meet the growing demand for English teachers.  Ewha, the oldest and biggest women’s school in Korea, will recruit 40 students at the end of the year and work together with the University of London Institute of Education on dual degree programs. Ehwa President Lee Bae-yong also said she wants to push for globalization projects. Ewha will set up eight more global centers in overseas universities. So far, Ewha has built centers in 12 cities including New York, Beijing, Boston, Tokyo and Hong Kong for networking. With the bases, it aims to send 60 percent of freshmen to sister universities as part of global outreach programs by 2010.

There was an interesting article in today’s Joongang Ilbo, English edition, about the effects of the announcement by the city of Seoul’s education authority that it would establish two new, all-English, international middle schools.   The article shows quite graphically the relationship between strategies in public education and the activities of private English and study abroad institutes.

The Korea Times published an editorial that provides interesting background on the issues raised by the announced plan for Seoul to establish two international middle schools.  This was the subject of an earlier post.  For those of you interested, this editorial helps to frame the issue more completely.

As reported in the Joongang Ilbo, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has announced a plan to establish two international middle schools in the capital city, each of which will accept 160 freshmen beginning next March.  Each school will accept 160 first-year students who will be divided into five classes. The annual tuition will be set at 4.8 million won ($4,574) or less, a measure partly aimed at quelling criticism that the new schools will be affordable only for children from rich families. But first-year students also have to pay an additional 700,000 won as an entrance fee. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union held a press conference in front of the education office yesterday to protest the decision.
“The change would put enormous burden on elementary school students and increase the financial burden on parents, eventually devastating the elementary education system,” said the union in a statement.

In the first half of 2008, Korean expenditures on education and language training abroad fell by the biggest margin since the 1997 financial crisis. According to a Bank of Korea report on the balance of international payments released Sunday, Koreans spent US$2.256 billion on overseas training in the first half of 2008, down 5.8 percent, or $138 million year on year. 

According to an article in the Chosun Ilbo, the falling figures are due primarily to worsening financial conditions, including a weaker local currency and a slowing economy, although some attribute this phenomenon to Koreans’ reduced preference for overseas studying and language training.   Some analysts have suggested that the phenomenon of sending children overseas at younger and younger ages has peaked.  For further detail, read the full article.