More Gifted Students to get Special Education

The government plans to allow up to 40,000, or 0.5 percent of the total student population, to benefit from special education for the gifted and talented by 2007. The number is an increase from the current 10,000, or 0.1 percent of the total student population.

The government also plans to establish more than 200 institutes for gifted students and such institutes will be run by education offices and universities.

Under the plan the government will set up arts schools for gifted students in a bid to expand the special education to arts and information technology

The Education Ministry announced the plan at a public hearing held yesterday in downtown Seoul and plans to submit the plan to the Human Resources Development Committee on Nov. 29.

The ministry plans to establish the fundamental of special education for gifted students by 2007, and then promote the education for them after 2008 with a view to increase the number of beneficiaries to more than 1 percent.

In terms of science education for talented high schoolers, the ministry decided to designate additional institutions for them after 2004 after examining the performance of the Busan Science Academy, which will open next year.

The government will increase the number of special institutions for gifted students run by education offices and universities from the current 51 to more than 200 and allow universities to run special institutions for arts and IT by themselves.

In an attempt to link the special education to higher education, the ministry will encourage universities to accept such students without general admission tests and to open educational programs for them.

Meanwhile the ministry will foster 8,000 teachers to educate talented students, appoint experts at home and abroad as `temporary special educators`, and develop and distribute the criteria that will be used in selecting these advanced students.

inchul@donga.com