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New students entering middle schools in Seoul this year will be able to apply to any schools of their choice in the capital from 2010 regardless which school district they live in. Fifty to 70 percent of applicants are to be allocated to the schools they prefer via a lottery.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education confirmed the plan on Tuesday. ¡°I expect that the quality of education will improve since competitions between schools will be introduced as students and parents can select their own schools,¡± Superintendent Kong Jong-tack said.
One reason for the plan is to prevent families from other parts of the capital from moving to the already prohibitively expensive Gangnam area for its excellent high schools. But not many applications are expected for schools that are far from the students¡¯ home.
The first stage will allow all year 3 middle school students to apply to two preferred schools. At this stage, only 20 to 30 percent will be allocated to their choice of schools. Those left out in the first stage move on to a second stage, where they again choose two schools in their own school district. Thirty to 40 percent of them would then get into their choice of school. The remaining 30 to 50 percent of the students will be allocated, as in the current system, according to schools¡¯ proximity to their home.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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