(LEAD) Gov't plans to restructure education industry

(ATTN: UPDATES with details at bottom; TRIMS throughout)
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Saturday it will
initiate full-fledged efforts next year to restructure the country's education
sector by closing or consolidating financially troubled private colleges.

In a 2009 policy plan reported to President Lee Myung-bak, the Ministry of
Education, Science and Technology said it will consolidate 106 public elementary,
middle and high schools across the country and cut the number of full-time
employees at regional educational offices by 5 percent by next year.
The ministry also plans to introduce in 2010 a teacher evaluation system,
strongly criticized by a progressive teachers' union, and seek standing
consolidation and shutdowns of private colleges with low student admission rates.
A growing number of South Korean private colleges, largely in provincial areas,
have survived on state aid as they struggle to draw new students.
The plan comes amid a pledge by Lee, a former construction firm CEO, to
restructure and deregulate the overall economy to induce further competition.
Most public and private business circles are under pressure to step up
restructuring efforts.
The ministry, however, plans to hire some 50,000 part-timers at schools and
education offices, including 5,000 English conversation lecturers, 18,000
after-school activity instructors, and 1,500 interns throughout its regional
offices.
It will also increase its educational budget for children from low-income
households from 757.5 billion won (US$581 million) this year to 841.7 billion won
in 2009.
The ministry also plans to increase the number of hours of English-language
classes in elementary schools, boost support for universities that specialize in
research in green and alternative energies and install prominent foreign scholars
as heads of science research agencies.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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