Secondary school equalization policies in South Korea

In response to rising competition for better schools and private tutoring, South Korea adopted an equalization policy that replaced competitive entrance examinations with random assignments of students for all secondary schools, public or private. Also, the government subsidized private schools so that their teachers’ salaries were equal to those in public schools. This policy contributed to the tremendous expansion of secondary school enrollments. But, competition for better schools and private tutoring has not decreased. Meanwhile, the lack of diversity and competition among secondary schools created very little incentives for schools to respond to the need of students and their parents.