From the year 2025, the school life of a Korean student will change drastically. In 2022, the Korean government stated that they would be implementing a new course selection and grading system starting from the 2025-’26 school year known as Gogyo Hakjumjae. From then on, the government frequently broadcasted additions to the system through the news. However, the sudden announcement of a new curriculum came as a shock to many Korean students and educators.
The original curriculum of Korean high schools is focused on studying for the contents of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). This included students taking required subjects including Mathematics, Korean, English, Korean History, PE, and basic-level Sciences. In their junior or senior year, they select two elective classes on subjects they wanted to take for the CSAT, whether it be STEM or humanities. They are also graded on a subjective scale of one to nine, where a score of one represents the highest grade that only four percent of the whole class could receive. Due to the importance of grades and emphasis on test scores during college admissions, many students opt to receive private tutoring and attend hagwons for extra help.
The widespread use of private tutoring prompted the Korean government to devise the Gogyo Hakjumjae. The new system allows schools to be credit-based, where students will receive a number of credits for each course they take, and graduate when they reach 196 credits. Excluding basic requirements, students can choose from a variety of new subjects based on their interests.
A new grading rubric will be implemented as well. The new rubric consists of a scale from one to five, where one represents the top 10 percent of the class rather than the original four percent. Some subjects are also based on an objective grading scale similar to American schools’ letter system.
The most surprising aspect of this proposal are the changes in subjects for the CSAT. _____ created subjects combining different types of studies, unlike the previous curriculum where there were multiple testing subjects within the same area of study. The government hoped this would allow students to explore their interest in high school, and mitigate the use of private tutoring by minimizing the stress of subjective grades.
Despite the Korean government’s aspirations for Gogyo Hakjumjae, there is a clear fault in the feasibility of this system: it cannot fathom the reality of the ultimate goal of most Korean high school students, college admissions.
The college admission process in Korea consists of two competitive options: the Susi and Jeongsi. The Susi involves an application necessitating grades, extracurricular activities, and a moderate CSAT score. The Jeongsi, on the other hand, allows students to be assessed solely on their CSAT score. For students in special circumstances, such as those suffering from a terminal illness or applying for college after high school graduation, the Jeongsi system gives them a chance to aim for top universities.
However, the Gogyo Hakjumjae will combine these two systems, making both school activity and CSAT score relevant for all students applying for college. Many people have commented that this system inherently increases competition and ultimately results in higher stress levels among students, invalidating the purpose of Gogyo Hakjumjae as a whole.
Furthermore, the courses planned for the Gogyo Hakjumjae pervades the lives of educators. In particular, the rigor of new subjects for the initiative ultimately increases the workload for teachers, as those who have only taught one or two subjects previously have to suddenly prepare to teach various courses.
While the Gogyo Hakjumjae tries to mend the faults in the Korean college admissions system that is hyper-focused on academics, it fails to take into account the cost of suddenly implementing a new system: lack of information for both students and teachers to accept and adapt to a revolutionary initiative. Despite making necessary transformations to Korean education, implementing this system will take time.
