The number of foreign teachers at high schools in Seoul is likely to drop due to government budget cuts for next year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it plans to cut about 4 billion won ($3.5 million) in personnel expenses for 225 foreign teachers at high schools in the 2012 budget, which has been reviewed by the council’s budget committee since Thursday.

If it passes the plenary session of the city council next week, the number of foreign high school teachers will start decreasing from next year in about 300 high schools in Seoul. Only a few will be left at some high schools designated to focus on English study by the government and Seoul Global High School, a special high school focusing on international studies, according to officials.

There are 1,245 foreign teachers in elementary and secondary schools in Seoul. Of them, 895 are supported by the Seoul education office in salaries, housing and airline tickets.

There will be no change in the number of foreign teachers at elementary and middle schools for now.

“We have planned to reduce the number of foreign teachers at public schools over the long term because, considering the budget spent on hiring them, the effect is not considerably high,” said an SMOE official on condition of anonymity.

According to another official who wished not to be named, SMOE will reduce the number of foreign teachers at all public schools gradually as its English education policy shifts from “quantity” education to “quality” education.

“Foreign teachers’ effect on English education is higher in elementary schools than in middle and high schools and we plan to use them at where it needs them the most,” said the official.

The government’s long-term plan is to substitute foreign teachers with Korean teachers with high English proficiency and good teaching methods. A recent poll conducted by the SMOE said that students and teachers preferred qualified Korean English teachers to foreign teachers.

The sudden budget cut will not mean layoffs of foreign teachers in Seoul, however.

“We will not just fire teachers. Teachers can stay during their contract period. We will just not fill the post with another teacher,” said the official.

However, some English education experts are worried that the government’s move will mean that underprivileged students will miss the chance to learn from foreign teachers.

Fergal Reid, who teaches at Eunpyong High School in Seoul, thinks the government’s plan will increase the number of students going to private academies, called hagwon here. He added that foreign teachers can build students’ confidence in English, which most of them are reluctant to develop on their own, and help them have a deeper understanding of English with commonly used English terms not in text books.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)