Cut Proposed in No. of Basic Required School Subjects

The number of basic subjects at primary and secondary schools will be reduced and that of the required years of schooling will be cut from 10 to nine, the Presidential Advisory Council on Education, Science and Technology said yesterday.

If implemented, the new plan will reduce the number of subjects taught per semester by at least three for elementary schools and five for secondary schools.

The council announced its preliminary plan for educational reform drawn up after holding a number of forums in seven major cities and provinces since February.

The Education, Science and Technology Ministry will announce a final plan before the end of this year for implementation no later than 2011 or as early as next year at schools with favorable educational conditions.

One of the biggest changes proposed is to reduce the number of basic common subject groups from 10 to seven by integrating music and arts into one category.

By doing so, elementary school students will take seven instead of 10 subjects and those in middle and high school eight instead of 11 to 13.

Critics say the proposed change could put more emphasis on Korean, English and math education and invite strong resistance from teachers of other subjects.

foryou@donga.com