International school quotas for Korean students may rise

The government is seeking to raise the admissions cap for local students in international schools in free economic zones, officials said Wednesday.

The move is in line with its efforts to attract a wider spectrum of students and resolve persistent financial difficulties facing international schools in Korea.

The Ministry of Education is to hold an open forum this week on ways to reform the current regulations on education, medical services and manufacturing industries, and then deliver the results to Cheong Wa Dae next month, according to officials.

The provisional plan involves increasing the local student quota from the current 30 percent to 35 or 40 percent for international schools in free economic zones in Incheon, Daegu, and North Gyeongsang Province.

Under the current law, the maximum proportion of domestic students is 30 percent of the total capacity, which can be raised to 50 percent with the education superintendent’s authorization.

“The current regulation is quite disconnected from the residential and educational reality of Korea,” said an official of an international school in Songdo, which houses the Incheon Free Economic Zone.

“Due to various challenges in foreign student recruitment, Korean students presently make up most of the enrolled students.”

The legal quota of this school is about 2,000 students but actual enrollment is a mere 775, among which 80 percent are of Korean nationality, according to the official.

“Being aware of the need (to raise the ratio of local students), we are planning to bring the issue to an open forum, but nothing has yet been decided,” said a ministry official.

The loosened regulation, if effectuated, is expected to relieve the financial burden of the affected international schools, which have been suffering from low enrollment.

Also, the ministry is considering allowing the establishment of international universities not only in special economic zones but also in ordinary metropolitan areas, to attract foreign nationals and Korean students who wish to study abroad, according to officials.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)