Government "Easing Excessive Competition in Skills Competition"... Introduction of Joint Medal System

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government has decided to improve the operation method of the Skills Competition to alleviate side effects such as excessive competition among vocational high school students participating in the event.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment and Labor submitted the "Skills Competition Operation Improvement Plan" at the 8th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting held on the 24th, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye.

This measure was prepared in response to issues raised after a vocational high school student in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, who was undergoing intensive training for the Skills Competition in early April, took an extreme step.

First, to ease excessive competition in the Skills Competition, the government decided to abolish the announcement of comprehensive rankings by city and province.

They will also introduce a "joint medal system" similar to the International Skills Olympics. For example, if the first-place score is 90 points, gold medals will also be awarded to players within a 2-point difference (88?89 points).

The scope of those eligible for national competition participation rights among local competition winners will be expanded, and the test questions will be changed to a question bank system, with questions disclosed in advance every two years. Prize money amounts will be reduced, and rewards such as short-term overseas training programs will be expanded.

The national representative selection evaluation will be abolished, and national representatives will be selected based on national competition results. The government plans to gradually integrate local and national competitions and adjust the event schedule to school vacation periods to guarantee students' right to learn.

Night education after 10 p.m., holiday education, and training camps will also be prohibited. To prevent violations of student rights, management and supervision will be strengthened, and a rights violation reporting center will be operated under the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, affiliated with the Ministry of Labor.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hye said, "Above all, it is important to guarantee students' right to learn and their health rights," adding, "We will help students grow in a balanced way by linking with school education, based on students' voluntary participation."

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