Putting ‘pal’ into principal in Paju
Published: 26 Dec. 2009, 07:31
Principal Lim Bong-gyu of Bongilcheon High School, center, walks the campus with students last week. By Kim Kyung-bin
Part of his routine includes starting the day by donning the school uniform, his name embroidered and the school emblem attached. He attends all school-related events, from parent meetings to lunch periods and makes himself readily available to students before and after school.
The stereotypical image of a stern and unapproachable high school principal does not fit Lim, who enjoys playing ping-pong and badminton with students. Two other officials - senior class director Lee Jong-hyun, 52, and student director Baek Sung-heum, 47 - have also joined Lim’s uniform campaign.
“Because our school was recently founded, we do not have upperclassmen to help incoming students adjust to the new environment,” said Lim. “To fill in this void by bringing together students and teachers, we chose the school motto ‘initiate and be the example.’ Also, in order to minimize financial burden on parents, the school instituted uniform requirements.”
Wearing uniforms along with students is part of his efforts to “initiate free communication with students by seeing their points of view and implementing effective lesson plans.”
In fact, Lim can be seen talking to students whenever and wherever.
The principal’s philosophy has so far been effective.
The senior class that will be graduating in February boasts astounding accomplishments. Out of 264 students, 64, or 24.2 percent, have been admitted through early admissions to four-year universities in the Seoul metropolitan region, including Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea. Such success can be attributed to Lim’s focus on customizing education to students by putting himself in their shoes.
Taking into account the high cost of private education and families who are unable to afford it, Lim focused on improving academic performances by offering competent public education programs. After the seventh period, the school offers after-school classes concentrating for two hours on college admissions exams. Although voluntary, by 80 percent of the students participate in the program. They receive lessons by outside instructors based on their levels. The school subsidizes 60 percent of the program’s fees, and students only have to pay 8,000 won ($6.80) per subject.
After dinner, from 7:20 to 9:00 p.m., students study on their own under the supervision of teachers. From 10 p.m. to midnight, parent volunteers supervise another study session in the school library with a seating capacity of 120.
But this is not all.
According to Lim, “Just providing after-school programs is not enough to engender significant academic improvements.” The school is therefore testing another cost-effective public education program, called “special weekend school.”
The school subsidizes fees and recruits qualified instructors in each subject area such as language and mathematics to teach students during weekends. About 70 students are participating, paying 10,000 won per month, or about a third of private education fees.
Following his belief in the importance of educational TV programs, Lim also created the media room with 40 computers. Open from 9 to 11 p.m., the room is accessible to any students who wishes to study through education channels.
Also, 29 students intending to major in arts benefit from the school’s special program, run by parents with arts degrees and seven local artists. Six seniors are also receiving four to five hours of private lessons in areas such as Oriental and landscape painting. Students pay only 12,000 won to 15,000 won per month.
The school doesn’t just focus on college admissions. Emphasizing well-roundedness as a goal, Lim launched a “one person, one forte” program, which encourages students to pursue a healthy hobby such as dancing or playing an instrument. Also, incoming freshmen participate in a three-day volunteer trip to an underprivileged neighborhood every year.
For next year’s incoming class, the school received 386 applicants, a little over the 380 available spots. When asked about Gyeonggi Provincial Education Office’s endorsement of repealing dress code and hair length regulations, Lim responded: “I am worried that a sudden change will cause confusion. Plus, it’s too soon to reverse our current policies, since they seem to be yielding solid results.”
By Jeon Ick-jin [enational@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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