Ministry is intensifying search for young Einsteins

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Ministry is intensifying search for young Einsteins

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced yesterday that from next year, it will offer academic training programs for young students who show outstanding ability in science at an early age. The program is aimed at students aged between seven and 10 who show an understanding of at least one subfield in mathematics or science at a university level. The candidates must be approved by a selection committee comprised of scholars in math and science. Selected students will receive education at elementary schools designated by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST. For university education, the students will attend schools designated by the Science Ministry and will receive one-on-one education from professors in a pool organized by the ministry. “We will start accepting applications next month,” said Kim Jong-duk, president of the KAIST Institute for Gifted Students, which will manage the program. “We plan to focus on training one or two students a year on a budget of about 200 million won ($197,000) for the time being.” The new program covers a younger age group than a similar current program, which offers training only to students in fourth grade or higher. The ministry explained that it wanted to focus on a lower age bracket because it felt academic talent can first surface in the first grade. The ministry cited the example of Song Yoo-geun, who was accepted to Inha University earlier in the year at the tender age of eight. by Shim Jae-woo
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