If the Private School Revision Bill is Passed, No New Students will be Accepted

Private school corporations threatened to stop any middle and high schools from accepting new students next year if the ruling Uri Party pushes for passing a private school revision bill within the year.

Eight hundred owners of private schools from the Korea Private School Corporate Council for middle and high schools revealed this plan after holding an emergency meeting at the 63 Building in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on Friday.

The council decided to reject the selection of new students for 2005 if the bill was passed within the special assembly session and to forward official documents to 16 metropolitan and provincial Offices of Education explaining its decision.

However, having already selected new students, autonomous private schools, special purpose high schools, and business high schools will be excluded from the council’s plan.

Chairman of the Korea Private School Corporate Council Kim Ha-joo argued, “Breaking its earlier agreement with the Grand National Party, the Uri Party is trying to exert its power to push ahead with the revision bill by handing it over to a subcommittee for examination. The ruling party has to take full responsibility for the turmoil that might result from our rejection to select new students.”

The private school revision bill that centers around the requirement that teachers, parents, and students recommend more than one-third of the foundations’ board members has already been delivered to a subcommittee for examination after only lawmakers of the Uri Party and the Democratic Labor Party attending the National Assembly’s Education Committee meeting on Tuesday.

The council revealed, “Ninety-five percent of the nation’s private schools has agreed to our decision of refusing to select new students. It is not just a threat, as we are preparing to face possible penalties in regard to our action.”

As to the movement, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development will persuade private schools with the Offices of Education first. However, if the schools continue to refuse the selection of students, it will be forced to deal with the matter by taking legal action.

If private schools carry out their plan as they have promised, current primary school sixth graders and third-year middle school students will find it difficult to advance to middle and high schools, respectively, which will lead to a crisis.

Hyo-Lim Son aryssong@donga.com