Three Major Teachers' Groups: "High School Credit System Support Measures Are Merely Formal Adjustments"

On January 28, teachers' organizations criticized the Ministry of Education's "Support Measures for the High School Credit System," stating that "it is not sufficient to resolve the confusion in the field." On the same day, the Ministry of Education decided to ease the existing credit acquisition requirements, which previously reflected both "attendance rate" and "academic achievement rate" in both core and elective subjects, by applying only the "attendance rate" for elective subjects. However, teachers on the ground pointed out that this is merely a stopgap measure.

The three major teachers' organizations-the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, and the Teachers' Union Federation-issued a joint statement, saying, "The fact that the 'academic achievement rate' is still required for core subjects means that the 'minimum achievement level guidance' (MAAG) is likely to remain a mere formality, potentially entrenching a structurally ineffective approach."

Under the high school credit system, students must attend at least two-thirds of classes and achieve an academic achievement rate of at least 40% to earn credits. If they fail to reach the "minimum achievement level," they are required to receive supplementary instruction to make up for learning deficits. However, teachers in the field have raised concerns that, in practice, the focus shifts solely to "credit completion," which not only increases teachers' workload but also results in a superficial implementation of the system.

On this day, the organizations also stated, "For students who fail to meet both the attendance and academic achievement requirements, the final completion rate is significantly lower compared to those who fall short in only one area, and it is extremely difficult for individual schools to provide guidance on their own. A responsible support system at the level of provincial and metropolitan education offices is necessary, but such a system is nowhere to be seen." They further pointed out, "In 2024, the rate of high school students falling below basic academic standards reached 9.3% in Korean, 12.6% in mathematics, and 6.5% in English. This demonstrates that there is already a structural learning deficit, regardless of whether credit acquisition requirements are relaxed. Maintaining the academic achievement criteria for core subjects and the minimum achievement level guidance in this context is likely to result in institutional adjustments and formal implementation aimed at minimizing the number of students who fail to complete credits, rather than bringing about genuine improvements in learning at schools."

They added, "Ultimately, schools will respond by effectively neutralizing the system through relaxed evaluation standards or a procedural approach, raising concerns that the high school credit system will become entrenched in a distorted form, contrary to its original intent."

Regarding the introduction of online schools and joint curricula to address issues such as students failing to complete credits and regional disparities, they commented, "For students in small schools, this is closer to institutionalizing the deprivation of face-to-face class opportunities than expanding options. Excessive expansion of elective subjects is, in effect, entrenching inequality in curricula based on school size and regional conditions, but there is no awareness of this issue anywhere."

They concluded, "While positive cases from some schools and support for the high school credit system have been overrepresented, the structural difficulties and needs experienced by the majority of schools have been excluded from policy discussions. To ensure that the Ministry of Education's support measures do not remain mere paperwork, efforts must be made to listen to the voices and demands of the school field, including teachers' organizations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.