[EDITORIALS]Release students' rankings

The confusion and panic among the students who took the 2002 College Scholastic Ability Test grow each day. Some students are trying to determine where they fall in the rankings by using estimates provided by private college preparatory institutes. But because the estimates vary widely among institutes, the data only serve to exacerbate the confusion.

The most accurate information that students can have in deciding which school to apply to is the rankings of individual scores. Most universities have used the rankings to select their freshmen. But the Education Ministry decided not to make the rankings public this year, saying it intends to prevent universities from selecting students based solely on their test scores. Students are decrying the ministry's decision.

We feel that the Education Ministry's decision is rather distant from reality and resulted from the idle thoughts of a few men. Not to release the rankings to the students even though many universities use them as a yardstick for selection reflects arrogance on the part of the ministry. If indeed the practice of the universities thus far shows so many side effects, as the ministry maintains, then why has the ministry not done anything about them and why do the universities prefer their method over the ministry's suggestion?

The idea of not releasing the rankings so that students' skills and aptitudes - instead of just their test scores - can be considered during the selection process has some merit. It may also help develop hidden assets among the students. But it is wrong of the Education Ministry to deal with the matter through regulation. If regulation was the only way, then the ministry should have done something first with universities so that they would not pick their students using the rankings. The ministry's decision not to release the ranking to students who are desperately seeking one more piece of advice on their way to college effectively caused this current crisis.

The Education Ministry should make the rankings public immediately. It should provide all data necessary for students to make decisions during the admissions process. The ministry's arrogance in holding the vital information only compounds the current confusion and lowers the spirits of college-bound students who have already gone through enough problems with the failure of the government's education policy.