80% of Middle Schools in Busan Region Operate First Semester of First Grade under Free Semester System

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Starting in 2023, among the 171 middle schools in Busan, 138 schools, accounting for 80%, will operate the first semester of the first grade under the Free Semester System, while 33 schools will operate the Free Year System considering difficulties such as teacher supply.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education conducted a survey in August on the plans for operating the Free Semester System for the 2023 academic year at 171 middle schools in the area.

Based on the survey results, the Office of Education allowed schools to autonomously choose and operate one of the following Free Semester System methods: ▲ operating the Free Semester System in the first semester of the first grade ▲ operating the Free Semester System in the second semester of the first grade ▲ operating the Free Year System.

The Free Semester System, fully implemented in 2016, is a program where students do not take standardized exams for one semester in the first grade but engage in various free semester activity programs suited to their talents and aptitudes to explore career paths. Subject classes are conducted as student-participation classes and assessed through process-centered evaluation.

Following the Ministry of Education's policy to expand the Free Year System in 2018, the Busan Office of Education has expanded its operation, and since 2021, the Free Year System has been fully implemented in all middle schools.

In the '2022 Revised Curriculum,' scheduled to be applied in 2025, the Free Semester System will be operated for one semester in the first grade, and the operating hours will be adjusted from 170 hours to 102 hours.

To respond to the application of the '2022 Revised Curriculum,' the Office of Education guided schools in 2023 to operate the Free Semester System according to their preferences.

With over 80% of schools wishing to operate the Free Semester System from 2023, it is planned to establish the operation of the Free Semester System in all middle schools by 2024.

Ha Yun-su, Superintendent of Education of Busan, said, "Ahead of the application of the 2022 Revised Curriculum, we will proactively apply and solidly operate the Free Semester System to create Busan education where students can turn their dreams into reality and develop their abilities."

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