Teacher Certificates Less Attainable for Non-education Majors

It is going to become much more difficult to get a teaching certificate for college students majoring in other than education. The Ministry of Education and Human Resources announced on April 1 that fewer students in other colleges would be allowed to get a teaching certificate courses starting from 2008.

According to the bill, the number of college students who can acquire teaching certificate from existing courses provided by general departments, not in education colleges and universities, will dwindle to ten percent of each major’s entrance limit, down from 30 percent.

Under the measures, it is predicted that students who complete courses for middle-school teaching certificate who enter colleges in 2008 and will graduate in 2012 will number 8,665, 3,000 fewer than last year’s 11,665.

The ministry also is removing the minor-major institutions through which students can receive teacher’s certificate from the original bill. Accordingly, students may obtain teaching certificates only through teaching as main-major or dual-major. The certificate required more than 42 credits from the main-major or dual-major courses, but in the case of students who finished courses for teaching certificates as their minor-major, they needed only 30 credits.

The ministry is not expected to abolish the institution that grants teachers with rights to teach other curriculums if present teachers are re-educated through teacher training programs.

One official from the ministry said, “The employment rate of middle school educators versus that of total teachers’ certificate holders was 17.3 percent in 2004, 19.6 percent in 2005, and 15.3 percent last year.” He continued, “The bill should be interpreted as a way to resolve the demand-supply imbalance while improving teacher quality by strengthening qualifications for teachers’ certificates.”

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