[EDLING:2414] Korea: More Students Choosing Foreign Language High Schools

[Francis M Hult]

Via lgpolicy...

> More Students Choosing Foreign Language High Schools
> 
> MARCH 08, 2007 06:42
> 
> Amid growing interests in special-purpose high schools, more students from
> middle schools in Gangnam, Nowon, Seocho, Songpa, and Yangcheon-gu
> (district) in Seoul are going to six foreign language high schools in
> Seoul. The number is growing year by year. Also, Koreas top four middle
> schools that send their graduates to special-purpose high schools are all
> located in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu. This is the result of Dong-A Ilbos
> survey on 8,627 new students at six foreign language high schools in Seoul
> from 2004 to 2007.
> 
> Middle schools in Nowon-gu have sent 878 students, the highest number, to
> foreign language high schools for the last four years. Yangcheon-gu sent
> 676 students, Gangnam-gu sent 629, Songpa-gu sent 433, and Seocho-gu sent
> 313. Schools in the five districts produced 38.6 percent of all new
> students to foreign language high schools. This year, students from
> Nowon-gu accounted for 2.36 percent of new students of foreign language
> high schools, followed by Gangnam-gu at 2.11 percent, Yangcheon-gu at 1.93
> percent, Seocho-gu at 1.60 percent, and Songpa-gu at 1.20 percent. As
> foreign language high schools in Gyeonggi Province are getting more
> popular, and admission dates were the same between schools in Seoul and
> Gyeonggi, the number of students from Gyeonggi Province going to schools
> in Seoul is decreasing by the year. The ratio decreased from 27.1 percent
> (579) in 2004 to 23.4 percent (504) the following year, and 20.5 percent
> (452) last year.
> 
> The number of middle schools which sent graduates to foreign language
> schools increased from 879 in 2004 to 931 in 2007. Interest and enthusiasm
> for the schools are spreading throughout the country. The top four middle
> schools which sent the most number of students to foreign language schools
> are Wolchon (137), Shinseo (116), Shinmok (104), and Mokil (101). Last
> year, Wolchon sent 43 students to foreign language high schools, followed
> by Shinseo at 37, Shinmok at 31, and Mokil at 26. More than 20 students
> from each school chose Myung Duk foreign language school, which is nearby.
> Among the top 10 schools that sent the most students to special-purpose
> high schools, five are in Mok-dong, four in Goyang City of Gyeonggi
> Province, and one in Nowon-gu. Schools in Gangnam-gu ranked 11th and 14th.
> 
> Schools in Yangcheon-gu and Nowon-gu were able to send many students
> because the private education environment improved and the enthusiasm for
> education there is comparable to that of the Gangnam region. Also,
> students from cities such as Goyang and Seongnam prefer schools in Seoul.
> For the last four years, among the 629 students from Gangnam-gu who went
> to foreign language schools, 55 percent or 346 students chose Daewon
> Foreign Language School. In Nowon-gu, 52.7 percent chose Seoul Foreign
> Language High School and 28.4 percent chose Daeil Foreign Language High
> School. Students in Gangdong-gu and Songpa-gu prefer Hanyoung Foreign
> Language School, Yangcheon-gu and Ilsan-gu Myung Duk Foreign Language
> School, and Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu Daewon Foreign Language School.
> 
> Taking into account that the quorum of foreign language high schools has
> not changed, schools in the five districts are sending more and more
> students to the schools, while those in other regions are sending less.
> The reason why the new students are concentrated in certain areas is that
> the competition among talented students raises the level of their academic
> achievement, talented students form network with each other, and many
> private institutions provide high-level private education. Private
> institutions are concentrated in Gangnam-gu, Yangcheon-gu, and Nowon-gu,
> and apartment prices are soaring in these regions. More people choose to
> live in these regions, and a middle school in Mok-dong has 16 to 17
> classes on average.
> 
> More students are favoring special-purpose high schools because a special
> admissions policy change for students from special schools will take
> effect starting in 2008. More students choose these areas to go to a
> prestigious university first and then advance to a law school or medical
> school. As there are various ways to go to medical and law school, foreign
> language high schools are getting more popular. Parents who used to be
> interested only in the Daewon Foreign Language School are now showing
> interest in other foreign language schools, said Kim Seong-yeong, a
> 41-year old parent.
> 
> http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=040000&biid=2007030893668