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01Introduction to the Republic of Korea
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02Multicultural Families and Foreigner Support Services
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03Residence and Naturalization
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04Korean Culture and Life
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05Pregnancy and Childbirth
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06Education of Children
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07Health and Healthcare
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08Social Security System
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09Employment and Labor
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10References
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Chapter Introduction Video
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FAQ
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Status of family centers
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Current Status of Danuri Helpline
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Migrant Background Youth Support Foundation
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Current Status of Saeil Center (New Job Center for Women)
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Immigration Offices
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Major Tourist Destinations by Region
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Contact Numbers for Key Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Korea
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Guide to Personal Information Protection
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Danuri Call Center : 1577-1366
가족상담전화 : 1644-6621
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High School Education
- Home
- Education of Children
- High School Education
High School Education
The high school curriculum lasts 3 years. Those who have graduated from middle school or passed an exam recognized as equivalent to a middle school graduate, such as the qualification exam, can enroll in high school. School types are divided into four types, namely general high schools, special purpose high schools, vocational high schools, and autonomous high schools. Student selection methods vary by si (city), do (province), or school type. To mitigate the burden of education costs, free high school education, which covers high school admission fees/tuition, school operation support fees, and textbook costs, is being implemented for sophmores and juniors in 2020 and will take effect for all grades by 2021. However, some private schools (autonomous private high schools, some special purpose high schools, etc.) where the school principal determines the admission and tuition fees are an exception to free education, but students from families with financial difficulty are eligible for support or a subsidized tuition.
01Content of Education
High school focuses on exploring career paths for the student’s aptitude and skills, fostering the qualities needed for a democratic citizen to communicate with the world, building on his or her middle school education. One class takes 50 minutes, and the curriculum students learn covers the national language, mathematics, English, social studies (including history/ethics), science, physical education, arts, technology, homes/ second language/Chinese literature/liberal arts, etc. Subjects are divided into common and elective subjects. Students can choose the subjects they want to learn from the electives. Creative experiential activities are extracurricular activities such as autonomous activities, club, career development, and volunteering activities that students participate in voluntarily. These activities are expected to help students develop their potential and talents, while nurturing community spirit.
02Types of High Schools
| (1) General High School | High schools which provide general education throughout various areas. This type accounts for the largest proportion of the high school types. Students are allocated and chosen by lot using a computer according to their region, or are selected by the principal based on test scores or grades (GPA) |
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| (2) Special Purpose High School | Special purpose high schools aim to provide specialized, professional education in a special field. These high schools include science high schools (science high schools) to cultivate scientific talent, foreign language and international high schools (foreign language high schools, international high schools, international foreign language high schools) to cultivate global talent proficient in foreign languages, and physical education high schools (Phys. Ed. high schools) to foster athletes, and high schools operating a customized curriculum directly linked to industry demands (high school catering to industrial demand). Students are selected by reflecting information used to evaluate the student's self-directed learning cognition, based on their school records, teacher recommendation letters, interviews, and practical test scores. In particular, science high schools, foreign language high schools, international high schools, and international foreign language high schools select more than 20% of their admission quota through social integration screening targeting students in need of social awareness support. |
| (3) Specialized High School | This type of school aims to nurture talents in specific areas, grouping students with similar talents, aptitudes, and abilities. It also provides experience-oriented professional education, including field study. Students can take various vocational trainings, such as agriculture, biotechnology, industry, commercial information, fishing, shipping, housekeeping, business, etc., according to the characteristics of school, in addition to regular courses such as Korean language, mathematics, English, social studies, etc. Students are selected based on school grades, interviews, and a practical test. |
| (4) Autonomous High School | This type of school is granted autonomy and accountability in school management, and provides various specialized educational programs. Types include the “autonomous public high school” and the “autonomous private high school.” In an autonomous public high school, students are allocated, chosen by computer depending on the region, or selected based on school grades or test scores. Autonomous private high schools select students based on an assessment of each student’s self-directed learning ability; this can include the consideration of school records, teacher recommendations, interviews, etc. In particular, as for autonomous private high schools, more than 20% of the admission quota is selected through social integration screening targeting students in need of social awareness support, and starting from the 2025 school year, autonomous private high schools recruiting on a nationwide scale, will select more than 20% of the admission quota from students attending middle school in the area where the relevant high school is located. |
03Welfare Services for Students
- Financial support available for students varies by region or type of educational expenses.
(1)Education cost support for elementary school, middle school, and high school students from low-income families
Qualifications
- Students who receive support for educational activities, tuition, and admission fee by registering at their local community center as eligible persons for livelihood security or students from single-parent families
- Students who are acknowledged as belonging to one of the two lowest income classes at their local community centers (eup, myeon, dong)
- Students within a median income of 50%~60% based on family income and property asset (differs by city, province, and type of educational expenses)
- Students from low-income families who do not meet the income and property criteria but are personally recommended by the principal due to their economic difficulties that cannot be documented
Assistance Items
- (High school tuition) Funding for high school admission fee, tuition, and school management support cost
- (Meal expenses) Full funding for lunches at elementary, middle, and high school (180 lunches a year, excluding free lunch regions)
- (After-school voucher program) Up to a max. of KRW 600,000 in funding per year for elementary/ middle/ high school students to take after-school courses from private educational institutes/ academies
- (Education information) Internet usage funding of 17,600 won per month, 1 PC provided to each low-income household
| Subjects | Recipients for basic living expenses | Legally single parent | Legally next lowest income level | Income-asset inquirer | Recom-mended by class teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High school expenses | ○ | ○ | ○ | △ | △ |
| Meal expenses | ○ | ○ | ○ | △ | △ |
| After-school courses | ○ | ○ | ○ | △ | △ |
| Internet·PC | △ | △ | △ | △ | △ |
- ○: full assistance when requested, △: determine whether to assist by reviewing assistance criteria
- For more information about the educational assistance, check at your local community service center or educational assistance OneClick application online. (☎ Inquiry：Central Counseling Center for Educational Cost Support 1544-9654)
Required Documents
| Qualifications | Required documents |
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| Recipients of national basic living security Subjects of single-parent family protection (legally determined) Subjects of protection, belonging to the next lowest income level (legally determined) Subjects of income and assets inquiry |
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| Principal's recommendation |
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Application procedure
- Registration period is operated in early March every year (Every school will be sending application guidelines via the school newsletter, etc.).
- Parents apply for education expenses through online (Bokjiro site, Educational Cost One Click Application System) or by visiting eup, myeon, or dong community service centers. Depending on results of income and property, beneficiaries are selected by the school.
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- Application
- Parents
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- Accept
- Eup·myeon·dong offices or the Internet
(Ministry of Health and Welfare, happiness e-um)
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- Income & property inspection
- City·gun·gu offices
(Ministry of Health and Welfare, happiness e-um)
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- Decide beneficiary
- School(NICE)
