[LETTERS to the editor]Another ill-conceived plan

The Korean government is launching a new English education program called TaLK. It is designed to get more native English speaking teachers into rural schools, but these teachers would only earn about $1,900 a month including their housing subsidy, and they would not be qualified teachers.

In fact, due to the low number of applications to date, qualifications were recently lowered. Now almost anyone can apply, even university freshmen.

Is this the best Korea can do to solve the English education problem in rural areas?

If I were, say, a young Korean-American interested in teaching English in Korea, I would consider coming here as a tourist and teaching for $40 or $50 an hour, which is what thousands of foreigners do.

If I taught just two or three hours a day I could earn much more than the pittance the government is offering.

So, then, let’s add this up: unqualified teachers, substandard pay. Granted, there will be more teachers, but they will be unqualified and low paid. John Goranson, Seoul