Normalize school education

Authorities should minimize fallout of cancellation of elite schools

The Moon Jaein administration is required to make concerted efforts to normalize school education after education offices across the country decided to strip private elite high schools of their status. The decision was made in line with Moon's campaign promise to shut down elite schools to "help" students enjoy equal educational opportunities.

But the liberal government is in a dilemma over the revocation of the licenses of the autonomous private high schools due to strong protests from the affected institutions, students and parents. The backlash started after education offices in Jeonju, Ansan and Busan canceled three elite high schools' licenses last month.

The situation has worsened after the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education decided Tuesday not to renew the licenses of eight elite schools. The decision will speed up the process of scrapping the system which was adopted by the previous conservative Lee Myungbak administration in 2009 to provide better education for talented students.

Now 11 autonomous private high schools have lost their privileged status, accounting for 46 percent of all 24 schools which have been under evaluation this year as a legal requirement for the extension of their licenses every five years.

No wonder one of the Moon government's key education policies was the abolition of elite schools which were introduced to overcome an overall decline in scholastic performance following the decades-old standardization of high schools. Progressive education office chiefs have also vowed to end the program.

There are pros and cons about the issue, causing a social split, with some politicians abusing the controversy for their political interests ahead of next April's general election. The issue is also likely to deepen ideological confrontations between progressives and conservatives.

Education is a long-term plan. The future of a nation depends on the education of the next generation. Thus the government should work out fundamental and comprehensive measures to put dilapidated public education on the right track. It also needs to minimize the fallout from the elite schools losing their status.

The authorities must go all-out to prevent controversy and confusion from arising from frequent policy changes whenever a new political leadership is installed. Education offices should also take follow-up measures to help the affected schools become ordinary schools smoothly. The key is to normalize school education.