Elite high schools to file petition against abolition plan

Parents and members of the association of elite high schools hold a press briefing at Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School in Seoul, Wednesday, to condemn the Ministry of Education's plan to transform elite high schools to general institutions in 2025. /Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

An association of principals of elite high schools said, Wednesday, it plans to file a constitutional appeal over the government's plan to transform three categories of such schools into general ones from 2025.

The three are autonomous private, foreign language and global high schools. There are 79 special-purpose high schools across the country and 59 principals have joined the association.

“The Ministry of Education claims special-purpose schools are ruining the fairness in public education. It should stop misleading the public about them,” said Kim Chul-kyung, principal of Dae Kwang High School in a press briefing at Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School in Seoul, Wednesday.

“The special-purpose high schools such as autonomous private, foreign language, and global high schools have run lawfully over the past 10 years. If the education ministry pushes forward the abolition of these high schools' status, the association will fight to the end by filing constitutional petition against the ministry.”

Kim said the high schools' ranking is inevitable in the free market economy, and the government should not intervene.

There has been negative public sentiment over the disparity in the education system. In response, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae criticized the elite private high schools for allegedly distorting the entire education system by creating rankings for high schools and overheating competition among even elementary schoolchildren.

“The education ministry also guarantees the education rights of private high schools and needs to let parents and students choose any type of high school they want,” Kim said.

The ministry's announcement came last month. Abolishing these elite schools has been one of President Moon Jae-in's top policy goals, following criticism that the schools have become a shortcut for admission to prestigious universities. He pledged to scrap the privileged category of schools, which he denounced for deepening inequality, stratifying schools and undermining efforts to improve the quality of the nation's education system.

The curricula of foreign language and autonomous schools have been particularly focused on college admission rather than their original purpose of providing a tailored education to outstanding students. Selecting students is also their right, and critics say such special favors enabled them to siphon off excellent students from regular schools, and it only contributes to further stratification.

Meanwhile, the education ministry announced last month that it will spend 260 billion won ($223 million) per year to achieve the transformation plan from 2025.