By Kang Hyun-kyung
Foreign schools here will be banned from admitting Korean students if they are found to have accepted unqualified students three times, according to the Ministry of Education.
The ministry said Wednesday that they will be prohibited from admitting eligible Korean students for six months to one year if they are found to have been involved in admission irregularities for the first time.
If the same school violates the rule twice, the suspension period will extend up to two years. A third violation will attract an outright ban in admitting Korean students.
An official of the ministry said that it’s fair to say that foreign schools will find it nearly impossible to operate here if they are not allowed to recruit Korean students.
This latest regulation follows a strong of admission irregularities involving some foreign schools admitting unqualified Korean students. Parents of the alleged unqualified students presented falsified documents about citizenship and the duration of their children’s stay abroad.
Under the current law, children of foreigners residing here or Korean students who have a parent with a foreign citizenship or have resided abroad for three years are eligible to enroll in foreign schools.
The ratio of Korean students cannot exceed 30 percent of the entire student population of the school.
The education ministry said it will check with foreign embassies based in Seoul to see if some students or their parents cheat on their citizenships in order to enter foreign schools.
Information about international schools, such as student data, tuition fees, and educational environment, will be available on the website (www.isi.go.kr).