11/17(금)- Why So Much Fuss?

[sugarpowder]

11/17(금)-Why So Much Fuss?

By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter

Members of civic groups, including Cultural Action, hold a press conference to announce the start of a week-long Anti- CSAT Festival at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Monday./ Yonhap

Once a year, the whole nation makes a great fuss about one event _ the annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) which is considered vital for entering university.

This year the test takes place nationwide on Nov. 16, on which about 600,000 students and repeat examinees will remain all day long at 971 locations nationwide taking the test.

Just like the previous years' test days, to help examinees arrive at the test sites on time, commuters will start work at 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. Emergency vehicles from the police and other agencies will also be on standby to help those who would otherwise be late for the exam.

According to the National Police Agency, 8,505 police officers and 7,112 volunteers will be dispatched to help transport examinees. Also, 867 billboards will be established to provide test center location guidance at subway and bus stations.

From 8:35 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. on the day, which are the time periods for listening tests, all the means of transportation, including buses and trains, must slow down near exam sites, and honking horn is prohibited. Aircraft takeoff and landing times will also avoid these time periods. Illegal parking will be banned in the vicinity of exam sites to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

Such a fuss is rarely seen anywhere else in the world, according to experts. Even Japan, which has a similar education system and is known for fierce competition to enter universities, does not take such special measures for those taking university entrance exams.

``To many Korean students, the annual CSAT is still considered as not only something that virtually decides whether you get in to college, but as a matter of life or death,'' said Na Young, an activist from a civic group Cultural Action. ``Although the importance of CSAT has decreased compared to before when it was an absolute standard element to enter universities, it is still considered as vital for entering university. They think it's just a once-in-a-life time chance and if one fails it, one is dead.''

In order to protest against such absurdity, Na has been staging an ``Anti-CSAT Festival'' in cooperation with 15 civic groups in central Seoul since last Monday, denouncing the wrongfulness of the test.

``There is no such country in which the whole nation makes such a great fuss about the university entrance exam. It is amazing that the whole nation is overly centered around the issue, geared toward providing the convenience for test takers, which is very unusual,'' said Huh Jae-keun, another activist who protests against the current university entrance format that heavily depends on the CSAT.

``However, before criticizing such a frenzy and the nation's fuss over the exam, it is vital to be aware of the inappropriateness of the entrance exam itself. The problem of CSAT is that it is the most important or major standard for judging a student's academic ability. All the things that the student learned for 12 years from elementary school to high school get to be judged by just one test. It is really absurd.''

He said that unless ways to choose students for universities diversify and the importance of CSAT is downgraded, such a nationwide frenzy over the test will continue. ``What is important here is to create various ways to enter universities, giving more chances to student. Plus, CSAT is based largely on testing memorization of academic knowledge. Hence, it fails to recognize students' various talents,'' he said.

``It is just nonsensical that just one test can define your life. In a society where recruitment policies, promotion as well as work ties are often based on college alumni networks after graduation, too much importance is given to the CSAT. Korean education should first abolish the university ranking system and embrace students of different talents and characters.''

Andrea Mohammed, an English teacher residing in Seoul also said that such rigid system for entering universities frustrates many bright students.

``I have seen many bright Korean students being embarrassed by ranking system of universities and fierce competition to get into universities. I also think that the CSAT itself is prejudicial and biased as it only tests academic ability where there are lots of other important abilities that are vital for pursuing one's study at university,'' she said.

1. Is there anyone in your family who took the CSAT?

2. Do you know some parents whose children took the CSAT?

 if you do, Do you know what they did for their children?

3. Did you buy a gift for students who took the test?

4. Do you know who died because of CSAT?

5. Do you think CSAT is good system for entering  univerity?

6. Do you know what other country has system instead of CSAT in korea?

7. Do You think CSAT system should be changed?

    What is problem of CSAT?

8. What is the alternative solution for CSAT in the future?