Korean Job Discussion Forums

[garykasparov]

Authorities at Gyeonggi Education Office yesterday decided to disqualify all 54 students involved in an exam leak scandal at three foreign language high schools.

A re-test will be organized by the education office before Dec. 20 to fill the 54 missing spots, education office officials said. The disqualified students, who were to enter Gimpo, Anyang and Myongji foreign language high schools, will also be able to apply for the re-test, officials added.

"We will request the full responsibility of officials at the private cram school and Gimpo school after looking at the results of a police investigation and the education office's special audit," officials at Gyeonggi education office stressed. "We will also step up regulations on the management of special-purpose high schools so that they are operated accordingly to their purpose of establishment."

The government and the United New Democratic Party yesterday also pledged a thorough nationwide investigation of private institutions that tutor students for entrance to special-purpose high schools.

The scandal began last month when an official at Gimpo school, identified by his surname Lee, allegedly stole 38 out of 80 questions from the school computer on the eve of the exam, police said.

The questions were e-mailed to the head of a hagwon named Jongno M in Mok-dong, southwestern Seoul, and the parent of a student who had been admitted to the Gimpo school, identified by his surname Park. They were then leaked to about 200 students as they were taking buses from the hagwon to the schools on the day of their exam, police said.

Police are currently tracking Lee's whereabouts.

The incident is expected to give more weight to a government proposal to scrap the special-purpose high school category by June 2008.

The Education Ministry said earlier it will choose from two options - convert all special-purpose high schools to "specialized" high schools by 2018, or make revisions to the admissions standard and better supervise the special-purpose high schools under the current system.



The Gyeonggi education authorities will also request stern action against Gimpo Foreign Language High School, including taking away its license as a special-purpose high school and cutting the maximum student capacity, officials said.

Yesterday, police also said they found about 10 million won ($11,000) in Lee's bank account, the origins of which they are investigating.

The money was put into his account on Oct. 23, a week before the student admission exam was taken at Gimpo school.

The bank statements of the hagwon head and Park are also being investigated, police said.

The police have tracked down e-mails, telephone conversation records and other content related to the leak in recovered computer data, they said.


By Cho Ji-hyun


([email protected])






2007.11.17

http://www.theworldpress.com/press/worldpress/southkoreapress/herald.htm