Recent amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act have restricted the commercial use of school records, raising concerns among students and parents about a lack of college admission information.
In response, the Busan Education Office is implementing a comprehensive support system for college admissions counseling that does not rely on private education.
The system includes in-person counseling available year-round and online counseling that guarantees responses within one hour, including weekends, tailored to the needs of users.
Concerns have been raised that the current schedule of 16 daily one-on-one in-person counseling sessions (10 during the day and 6 at night) is insufficient to meet demand among all students in Busan. To address this, the Busan Education Office plans to operate flexibly based on demand to alleviate bottlenecks.
During the upcoming vacation period, leading up to the early September application for early admissions, the number of counseling sessions will be significantly increased to 30 per day for about four weeks. Additionally, in December and early January, prior to the regular admissions application, the number of sessions will also be expanded for about two weeks. A college admissions camp will be held in July, providing concentrated counseling for 400 to 500 students over two days. To prevent booking congestion, reservations for the following month are released sequentially at midnight on the 20th of each month.
The online counseling service, known as e-College Admissions Pathway, operates year-round and prioritizes speed and accuracy. Users can submit questions on the website and receive responses within one hour, including weekends. However, for sensitive issues that may have significant implications, the support team will review the responses, which may take additional time.
All college admissions counseling programs are offered free of charge. To protect the opportunities of waiting students, a penalty of a two-month counseling ban is imposed on individuals who fail to show up for their reserved sessions.
The education office expressed strong confidence in the quality of its public education counseling services.
A representative from the Busan Education Office stated, "We are confident that the quality of counseling provided by our admissions support team is not inferior to that of private education consulting. It is unfortunate that many parents are unaware that all counseling is completely free. Anyone can receive high-quality counseling for free with just a reservation."
The education office is also making efforts to support students who have difficulty accessing college admissions information due to geographical conditions. To bridge the information gap between regions, the office is operating mobile counseling classrooms based on requests from schools in underserved areas.
While being careful to avoid stigmatization by not explicitly distinguishing specific regions or groups, the office is quietly prioritizing schools that have had fewer opportunities for college admissions counseling. In the first semester of this year, 561 students from 32 schools received in-person counseling at their schools.
Additionally, from March to May, when overall counseling demand is relatively low, the office is actively guiding students from multicultural families and out-of-school youth, who require tailored support, to ensure they can access counseling services.
As part of the current education superintendent's pledge to expand college admissions counseling, the education office plans to actively consider increasing counseling staff and expanding related programs if demand continues to grow.
Kim Seok-jun, the Superintendent of Busan Education, stated, "We will do our best to ensure that everyone can obtain reliable college admissions information through public education without relying on private education and can develop a college admissions strategy that aligns with their aptitudes and career paths. We will continue to expand our counseling support system to eliminate barriers of time, location, and social class, ensuring that no student is left without access to counseling."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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