Left-leaning education superintendent candidates from 15 regions gathered in Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Tuesday to unveil joint election pledges ahead of the June 3 local elections.
These included promises to overhaul the Suneung high school exam and the eventual introduction of a new college entrance exam.
“Despite South Korea’s many educational achievements, students continue to suffer under an admissions-centered education system, while soaring private education costs are placing a growing burden on households and deepening educational inequality,” said Lee Yong-gi, the preliminary candidate for North Gyeongsang Province.
“A fundamental shift in education is needed to move beyond an admissions system centered on competition and hierarchy.”
As part of their pledges, the candidates vowed to overhaul the College Scholastic Ability Test, also known as Suneung, by the early 2030s by converting the exam to an absolute grading system with five grade bands.
They said the overhaul would serve as a transitional step toward eventually phasing out the Suneung and replacing it with a two-tier college entrance qualification exam, similar to systems used in France and Germany.
A college entrance qualification exam is designed to assess whether students have the minimum academic ability required to enter university. Unlike the current admissions system, which ranks students by score, such an exam would grant university application eligibility to those who meet a certain threshold.
“We must move away from a system centered on competition for college admissions and work toward an education system focused on the development and growth of each student,” said Jung Gwan-ho, the liberal-leaning preliminary candidate for the Gwangju-South Jeolla region.
The broader joint election pledges centered on five pillars: easing competition in college admissions and restoring public education; dismantling the university hierarchy and promoting the balanced development of regional universities; strengthening educational equality; expanding democratic citizenship education and protecting the rights of members of the education community; and building a sustainable education system for the future.
“If this country ever fails, education will likely be one of the reasons,” said Cheon Ho-seong, the preliminary candidate for North Jeolla Province.
“Education must return to its original mission,” he added. “It should contribute to the sound growth of individuals and the creation of a healthy society. We will take the lead in nurturing capable people with warm hearts who can coexist beyond competition, beyond college admissions and beyond regional divides.”
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
