Lee Ju-ho: "Concerns about Advanced Mathematics Are Unfounded... Will Establish a Comprehensive Mathematics Education Plan"

Demand for Mathematics Education Transformation in Line with the Digital Great Transition

As the decision was made to exclude advanced mathematics from the 2028 College Scholastic Ability Test, concerns arose that mathematics education might be weakened. In response, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, stated that "this is not true."

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education (third from the left), attending the 5th 'Together Chat Meeting' held on the 5th at the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 5th, Deputy Prime Minister Lee held a 'Together Chat Meeting' with math teachers at the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, saying, "We decided to exclude advanced mathematics (Calculus II and Geometry) to resolve the long-standing issues in math education such as inducing private education, excessive learning burden, and decreased student interest due to learning gaps."

The meeting was held under the theme of 'The Direction Mathematics Education Should Take.' Discussions were held regarding the decision not to introduce advanced mathematics in the 2028 college entrance exam reform.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee explained, "Even if advanced mathematics is not included in the CSAT, universities can still verify whether students have thoroughly studied the advanced mathematics necessary for science and engineering majors when selecting students."

He also said, "At the high school level, regardless of regional or school conditions, students will be able to take various math elective courses through joint curricula or online schools, and we will actively support individual schools in offering these courses."

With this reform, which will apply starting from the current second year of middle school, the scope of math questions in the CSAT will be narrowed to the current liberal arts level. The Korean Mathematical Society and other science and engineering fields have opposed this, arguing that removing advanced mathematics, which is the foundational subject for science and engineering university courses, will collapse the basis of science and engineering university education.

At this meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Lee also advocated for transforming math education in the future. He said, "We will make mathematics a necessary and interesting subject in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and fundamentally change it to enhance students' thinking skills. We will establish the 4th Comprehensive Mathematics Education Plan this year and apply it from 2025."

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