By Bahk Eun-ji



President Park Geun-hye called for the education ministry to come forward with fundamental steps to correct the education environment requiring students to over-study English.



She made the remarks Thursday during a policy report by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which announced a package of steps aimed at reducing private education expenses especially for English.



In its annual policy report to Park, the ministry pledged to lower the level of difficulty of test questions for the English section of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).



"Students have to learn basic skills of English. However, not every student has to learn beyond that unless they want to pave the way toward a career requiring professional English proficiency," President Park said. "More fundamental measures should be prepared against the current education environment demanding the over-education of English to students."



The ministry's decision is aimed at reducing expenses for private education for English at cram schools or "hagwon," and eventually lowering the burden for parents.



According to data released by the ministry, the amount of private education expenses for English reached 6.5 trillion won among total private education expenses estimated at 19 trillion won in 2012.



The MOE found that parents and students spent most of their expenses preparing for the English section of the CSAT in 2013, when the section had been split into a Test A and a more difficult Test B.



The ministry decided to integrate the two sections to make it as simple as possible, and reduce confusion for parents and college-bound students.



"The length of text will be shortened, and the number of questions in the listening section will be also reduced from 22 to 17 in a bid to gradually reduce the total amount of test papers," said Na Seung-il, the vice-minister of the MOE during a brief session.



In addition, the MOE also pledged to keep banning English immersion programs operating under preschool curriculums in line with relieving the cost burden for private education.



Private elementary schools will be also banned from providing English class after regular class hours and using textbooks published in the United States or other countries.



