Students of gifted schools applying for medical college to be required to return stipends and scholarships

Seoul Science High School website

Government invests over US$4,000 more in every gifted school than regular public school

Seoul Science High School website

Seoul Science High School (SSHS), a gifted school intended to nurture talented scientific minds, plans to demand the return of education stipends and scholarship funds and revoke school awards as of next year’s incoming class for any students who even apply for a medical college.

The provision requiring the return of educational fees is the second to be instituted for South Korea’s eight gifted schools, following the Korea Science Academy of KAIST in Busan. The measure is seen as reflecting the school’s exceptionally high medical college matriculation rate.

SSHS, which is affiliated with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), announced the plan on Dec. 2 as part of a framework for “improving the 2021 academic year SSHS selection system and strengthening science/engineering matriculation guidance” based on discussions with SMOE. According to the plan, SSHS is to demand the return of educational stipends -- amounting to 15 million won (US$12,650) over three years -- for any students as of next year’s incoming class who even apply to attend a medical college.

While the tuition paid by gifted school students is the same as that of regular national and public high schools, the South Korean government annually invests 5 million won (US$4,217) per capita for gifted schools according to the Gifted Education Promotion Act to support the hiring of doctoral-level teachers and subsidize the use of high-tech materials and research activities. Scholarships received by individual students are also to be returned. Additionally, SSHS plans to advise all of its students as of next year that anyone who hopes to attend a medical college should transfer to a general high school.

Many observers in and around the education community have raised ongoing issues over the large number of gifted school graduates who go on to enter medical colleges rather than those related to science or engineering. According to parliamentary audit figures shared in October by Lee Chan-yeol, a lawmaker with the Bareunmirae Party, an average of 8.2% of gifted school graduates over the four years between 2016 and 2019 went on to study medicine. SSHS had the highest rate, with 22.8% of its graduates over the past four years matriculating in medical colleges.

Amid hopes that the plan will be a “good stimulus” for gifted schools to live up to their role, some have also raised questions about how effective it will actually be.

“Given the reality of so many children from high-income families studying at gifted schools, parents are very likely to prefer gifted schools with high medical college admission rates, even if it means coughing up 15 million won [US$12,646],” said Gu Bon-chang, director of the policy division of the group World without Worries about Shadow Education.

By Lee Yu-jin, staff reporter

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