Girls school won’t admit any teacher’s kids

Teachers at Sookmyung Girls’ High School will have to send their daughters to another school after a faculty member allegedly leaked test questions to his twin daughters.

“The school has decided to prohibit children of faculty members from attending the school,” Lee Hye-sook, principal of Sookmyung Girls’ High School, an elite private school located in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, said in a telephone conversation with JoongAng Ilbo on Thursday. “The announcement has already been made to our faculty members. The school administration is currently considering making the announcement public through the high school’s website and school newsletters.”

The rule goes into effect next year.

Sookmyung Girls’ High School said faculty members with children already in the school will be exempt from the new policy.

Earlier this year, twin daughters of a male faculty member placed first in their spring semester finals. Several parents of kids attending the school questioned the sharp rise in the girl’s grades. A police probe started on Sept. 5.

According to the Ministry of Education, 27.3 percent of high schools nationwide have faculty members with children enrolled. In August, the Education Ministry announced a policy prohibiting children of staff members from attending the same public school. According to the ministry, the policy will be implemented “in all high schools nationwide” starting next March. Sookmyung Girls’ High School, as a private school, does not have to comply.

Private schools usually allow faculty members children to study, often for reduced tuitions.

The Suseo Police Precinct in Seoul is still investigating the alleged cheating by the faculty member and his twin daughters. However, the investigation is at a standstill as one of the twin daughters was admitted to the hospital due to health complications which arose during her investigation.

The school has yet to issue a public statement about any measure to be taken against the faculty member. “The school will release a public statement once the investigation reveals the truth about this incident,” said principal Lee.

BY PARK TAE-IN [jeong.juwon@joongang.co.kr]