High School Entrance ``Application First, Lottery After``

The students who live in Sungnam, Koyang, Anyang (including Kwachon, Uiwang, Gunpo) cities, Kyonggi Province in which the equalization of the high schools will be implemented from 2002, will be allotted to the school according the principles of `first multiple-application and later lottery,` and `allotment based on the short-distance`.

The middle school students in Buchon city will be assigned to the school only by the ` first multiple-application and later lottery`. The principle of `allotment based on the short-distance` is likely to be applied additionally to the students in Suwon city (currently equalized region) to which only the principle of `first application, and later lottery` has been adopted.

The Kyonggi Provincial Office of Education (KPOE) announced yesterday the tentative plan of the `method for assigning the students in the equalized high school regions`. According to this plan, the Sungnam, Koyang, and Anyang cities assign primarily 30-70 percent of the high school student quota by the `first multiple-application and later lottery via computer`. The middle school students who pass the cut-line of the academic high school by the academic reports of the middle school, can apply the plural high schools, ranking them in an order to want to enter.

The lottery will be firstly carried out to the first-order applicants. And the high schools who do not meet the student quota in the first lottery, select the student among the second-order applicants through the lottery.

The rest of students will be assigned to the near high school through the lottery by district within the school groups. Sungnam, Koyang, Anyang, Suwon cities divide the region into 2-5 districts for the `allotment based on the short-distance`.

The middle school students in Buchon city will be allotted to the high school only by the lottery without the `allotment based on the short-distance`.

The KPOE will review whether or not it will apply the principle of the `allotment based on the short-distance` to the students in Suwon city. And the KPOE suggested two plans for the high schools in the non-equalized region (special region); one is the plan to include them in the equalized region, and the other is the plan to allow 1 non-equalized school in Anyang city, and 2 non-equalized schools in Sungnam city.

An official of the KPOE told that ``The result from the simulation following the tentative plan showed the high probability (80-93 percent) that the students can be assigned to the desired schools. Although the allotment will be carried out by two steps, the result of the allotment will be announced together``.

The KPOE will decide the final plan until the end of next month by reviewing the results from the hearings by region, and the surveys to the operation committees of the schools.

Nam Kyung-Hyun bibulus@donga.com