Elementary, secondary schools given internet access

Beginning this semester, all classrooms at 10,064 elementary and secondary schools in Korea have been given internet access and 340,000 teachers have been provided with individual computers. This puts South Korea at the top of the ladder in information education for children, behind only Singapore and ahead of the United States, Britain, Japan and Canada.

With the attendance of president Kim Dae-Jung and education-human resources development minister Han Wan-Sang, a ceremony was held at Kyunggi Commercial High School in Seoul Friday to celebrate the internet connection and building of a nationwide information infrastructure for the education of youths.

The education ministry invested a total of 1,439.6 billion won between 1998 and 2000 to supply 431,981 computers to 12,897 computer rooms at elementary and secondary schools, provide personal computers to all 340,854 teachers and equip 222,146 classrooms with one computer and a large projection television set each. Altogether, about one million computers have been distributed to institutions of learning.

From this year to 2005, these schools will enjoy exemption from or discount rates of internet charges: users of 256Kbps category will be free of charge, users of 512Kbps category shall pay 36,780 won or 87 percent less than the normal monthly charge and users of super-speed 2Mbps category shall pay 374,540 won or 43 percent less. The reduced bills will enable schools to use the internet with minimum payments.

During the ceremony president Kim observed the class work of fifth and sixth graders at Shinchang Primary School in Cheju-do over the internet and acted as a temporary cyber-instructor by talking with pupils about Korean reunification.

Lee In-Chul inchul@donga.com