English made compulsory – Ministry of education and Human development

On Wednesday the 11^th Jan, 2006 the Ministry of education and Human development announced that they’d take measures to develop English education.

This meant elementary schools will have to expand regular English classes to the lower grades from the second half of the year to 2007 on a pilot project. After the trial performance till date; the ministry is considering requiring all elementary schools to fully implement English classes for the lower grades.

Under this system, only higher graders can take English classes, the third and fourth graders take regular English classes once a week and fifth and sixth graders have the classes twice a week. This was to improve the standard of the people and make them comfortable enough in speaking English.

The ministry also plans to oblige primary and secondary schools in free economic zones and an international city to conduct math and science classes in English under the so-called “English Immersion Program,” starting from 2008 on a trial basis. The ministry will introduce this program in elementary, middle and high schools in the free economic zones of Incheon, Busan, Jinhae and Gwangyang and the free international city of
Jeju

in 2008.

Students living in Busan adjacent to

Japan
, for example, are likely to be required to take Japanese, while students living in Incheon near

China

will likely learn Chinese. The ministry will also recruit English speakers as assistant teachers in all middle schools nationwide by 2010 in an effort to enhance English conversation and English teaching skills.The ministry will reform the current school year system so that schools begin the academic year in September rather than in March

The Korea Educational Development Institute recommended that the government adopt a 5-3-4-4 school system by reducing elementary school years to five from the current six and extending high school by a year to four years.

All these if implemented will surely make a difference in the coming future.

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