Full Implementation of the High School Credit System in 2025... "Need to Improve the Quality of Classes"

Ministry of Education to Announce Public Education Competitiveness Enhancement Plan on the 21st
Teachers' Union: "We Should Not Be Satisfied with Quantitative Expansion Alone"

The high school credit system, which had sparked controversy over its introduction timing, will be fully implemented as scheduled starting from the 2025 academic year.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Education announced the “Plan to Enhance the Competitiveness of Public Education Supporting the Growth of All Students” at the Government Seoul Office, which includes this information.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho bows his head before briefing on measures to enhance public education competitiveness at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 21st. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

The high school credit system is a class format where students do not wait for teachers to come to their classrooms but instead go to the classrooms where teachers who teach the subjects they want are located. It was established to nurture creative and convergent talents suited to future societal changes.

The Ministry of Education has been gradually introducing the high school credit system starting with Meister high schools in 2021 and has announced that it will be fully implemented in all high schools by 2025.

In the first year, students take 48 credits of common subjects, including Common Korean 1 and 2, Common Mathematics 1 and 2, Common English 1 and 2, Integrated Social Studies 1 and 2, Integrated Science 1 and 2 (8 credits), Korean History 1 and 2 (6 credits), and Science Inquiry Experiments 1 and 2 (2 credits) to build foundational literacy.

From the second year, students can choose elective subjects (general, career, and convergence) according to their career paths and aptitudes. General elective subjects include those previously featured in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), such as Speech and Language, Reading and Writing, Calculus, and Probability and Statistics.

Career elective subjects consist of more thematic courses like Thematic Inquiry Reading, Literature and Film, and Reading Anglo-American Literature, while convergence elective subjects include diverse courses such as Mathematics and Culture, Media English, and Travel Geography. Whether these subjects will be included in the CSAT will be determined by future announcements regarding college entrance system reforms.

If the desired subjects are not offered at their own school, students can take joint online or offline courses with other schools or classes linked to local universities or research institutions.

The completion criteria for each subject require students to meet a school-established academic achievement rate of 40% and attend at least two-thirds of the classes. Students who do not meet these criteria will receive supplementary instruction after school or during vacations.

Students must complete a total of 192 credits over three years of high school to graduate, including 48 credits of common required subjects.

An official from the Ministry of Education stated, “Previously, students with low grades could graduate from high school just by sitting in class, but now they must study and complete subjects to graduate,” adding, “This reflects our commitment to better support students in the lower academic ranks.”

Regarding the decision to introduce the high school credit system as planned, educators on the ground emphasize that efforts to improve the quality of education should take priority. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union Federation commented on the same day, stating, “Expanding students’ diverse educational choices should not be satisfied with quantitative growth alone; efforts to improve the quality of education (instruction) are necessary,” and criticized, “In reality, many cases in educational settings have operated the curriculum in a dysfunctional manner without a basic understanding of the purpose of the high school credit system.”

They further emphasized, “Measures such as maintaining various educational offerings within public education (autonomous private high schools, foreign language high schools, international high schools) and granting autonomy to metropolitan and provincial education offices to innovate school education should not be used as means to justify school hierarchy.”

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