By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Beginning this year, foreign language high schools in Gyeonggi Province will put more weight on English and Korean language fluency for their admissions, according to sources at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Sunday.
Headmasters of nine of these schools in the province announced that a test measuring math and science aptitude will be abolished, the sources said.
Instead, focus will be on language skills, where English listening and writing will become crucial. The English test will become more difficult and specified to evaluate individual's precise English fluency, they said.
The decision came after headmasters of foreign language high schools in Seoul decided to abolish the creativity test in early December.
They also agreed not to give extra credit to students with government-authorized English test grades such as TOEIC, TOEFL and TEPS.
The changes came after creativity test papers for Gimpo Foreign Language High School's admission were leaked to students of a private educational institute last October. There was rising criticism that tests on math and science should be abolished for schools that are supposed to enhance language ability.
The new plan also includes reflecting 30 percent of high school academic records as part of admission criteria to place more value on one's achievements while at school.
Specific clauses will be posted on the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's Web site on Thursday.