The Korean Ministry of Education announced that all foreign language, international, and independent high schools will implement policies prohibiting students from disclosing Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores or honors earned from competitions in personal statements. These policies will take effect in 2015.
The Ministry has instructed schools to assign a score of zero in the interview portion of the application to applicants who violate these new policies. Many foreign language schools require a two-fold application process in which students must first submit grades and test scores to later be granted an interview.
The word count for personal statements has also been reduced from 2300 to 1500 words. Moreover, restrictions have been made on the disclosure of parent information. Applicants are prohibited from mentioning the names of corporations, positions held, or even any high expense hobbies enjoyed by their parents.
A representative of the Ministry revealed that new policies like these have been implemented before only to face violations by not only students, but also by the schools themselves. The Ministry is expected to issue tighter measures to ensure that both students and schools follow the new policies.
Among the new regulations that have been introduced are policies regarding grading systems in middle schools. During the second year of middle school, students should be graded on a scale in which a 90 and above indicates an A and 80 and above is a B in their English language classes. In the third year of middle school, students should receive a relative evaluation in which the top 4 percent of students receive the highest honors.
The Ministry has announced that it will be distributing manuals next month outlining the new policies and changes in school admissions to ensure equality of opportunity for all applicants. Schools that breach these new policies will be held responsible by the Ministry.
Source: http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201401072136435&code=940401
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