By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The government said Thursday it plans to employ about 4,000 new ``English lecturers’’ for primary schools as early as 2010.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced the plan after a public hearing on the introduction of the new lecturers at the National Institute for International Education.
The ministry has been working on introducing teachers specialized in teaching English conversation, and expanding hours for English classes. It has yet to decide the exact number of English lecturers to be hired for secondary schools.
The ministry will call them ``lecturers’’ to distinguish them from existing teachers who have civil servant and permanent job status. The recruited lecturers will be working on a contract basis and not be given civil servant status.
During the public hearing, Cho Seok-hoon, a professor at Cheongju University, one of the research members for the project, said that working conditions for the teachers should not be the same as those of government employed teachers due to opposition from current teachers.
Regarding criteria for applicants for the positions, Cho said the ministry could limit the pool of candidates to those who hold teaching licenses, but would leave that consideration up to education offices in local governments.
Kim Young-ik, a high school teacher, asserted it was dangerous to open the positions to anyone simply because they can speak English.
Kim Hye-ri, a professor of Seoul National University of Education, pointed out the new system has been introduced due to the lack of English skills of current teachers, so universities need to change their curricula so that teachers can conduct English classes in English and the government should strengthen teacher training programs.
They are expected to be hired based on four-year contracts.
The ministry plans to announce the final plans on the new positions by the end of the year, based on suggestions from public hearings.