ID :
55921
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 08:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/55921
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(EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on April 17) - Closing the education gap
A taboo was broken when the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation on Wednesday disclosed its analysis of results of the annual college entrance test for the past five years.
Past administrations have stuck to the principle of withholding test results
since the national test was introduced in 1993, citing the possibility of
unwanted side effects such as firing up competition.
More details of the test results will be released later this month after
lawmakers have had a chance to inspect raw data, which, it is hoped, will help
schools enhance the quality of public school education, going beyond simply
satisfying parents' and students' right to know.
What???s interesting about the results from the institute's investigation is the
clear gap between urban and rural areas, and between schools in the same region
designated by the government to provide egalitarian education.
Under egalitarian education, students are sent to different high schools on a
random basis, regardless of their academic achievements. This policy, which has
remained intact for the past 35 years, guarantees equal opportunities for
students no matter what their academic performance is by having them study under
the same circumstances.
However, the new data released this week shows that this system is not working.
If we continue to pursue egalitarian education, we run the risk of seriously
damaging the nation.
The institute's data also showed that students at high schools with more autonomy
over school management policies, including admissions, scored higher than those
at other schools.
Such information strongly indicates that by diversifying the types of schools in
Korea and giving them more autonomy, we can produce a decent alternative to the
egalitarian system.
We believe it is good for the future of the country if there is more competition
between schools, but for this to happen, schools have to share information.
The national test score disclosure this time is a step closer to this goal, and
the court???s recent ruling to do so seems to be in the same vein. But it has to
be emphasized that revealing test scores is meant to boost quality and
competition, not create a hierarchy among schools and regions.
Toward this goal, the education authority should acknowledge that an academic gap
certainly exists and implement a thorough analysis of schools??? achievements,
leadership by school principals and the performance of teachers and students to
find out why such a gap exists. This would allow for systematic support to help
narrow the gap between schools and regions.
(END)
Past administrations have stuck to the principle of withholding test results
since the national test was introduced in 1993, citing the possibility of
unwanted side effects such as firing up competition.
More details of the test results will be released later this month after
lawmakers have had a chance to inspect raw data, which, it is hoped, will help
schools enhance the quality of public school education, going beyond simply
satisfying parents' and students' right to know.
What???s interesting about the results from the institute's investigation is the
clear gap between urban and rural areas, and between schools in the same region
designated by the government to provide egalitarian education.
Under egalitarian education, students are sent to different high schools on a
random basis, regardless of their academic achievements. This policy, which has
remained intact for the past 35 years, guarantees equal opportunities for
students no matter what their academic performance is by having them study under
the same circumstances.
However, the new data released this week shows that this system is not working.
If we continue to pursue egalitarian education, we run the risk of seriously
damaging the nation.
The institute's data also showed that students at high schools with more autonomy
over school management policies, including admissions, scored higher than those
at other schools.
Such information strongly indicates that by diversifying the types of schools in
Korea and giving them more autonomy, we can produce a decent alternative to the
egalitarian system.
We believe it is good for the future of the country if there is more competition
between schools, but for this to happen, schools have to share information.
The national test score disclosure this time is a step closer to this goal, and
the court???s recent ruling to do so seems to be in the same vein. But it has to
be emphasized that revealing test scores is meant to boost quality and
competition, not create a hierarchy among schools and regions.
Toward this goal, the education authority should acknowledge that an academic gap
certainly exists and implement a thorough analysis of schools??? achievements,
leadership by school principals and the performance of teachers and students to
find out why such a gap exists. This would allow for systematic support to help
narrow the gap between schools and regions.
(END)
