[Letters] NSAT an imperfect but vital policy tool

A firestorm of controversy has erupted surrounding the Nationwide Scholastic Achievement Test, or NSAT. However, we feel that this test is an indispensable part of the educational system.

Since exams differ greatly from school to school, the NSAT serves as a concrete standard for measuring students’ academic performance compared to the rest of the country. Because the NSAT does not count toward one’s GPA, students don’t need to feel any pressure while taking it. There is really no other way to objectively measure one’s performance in comparison to the rest of the nation.

The NSAT also provides the government with the information needed to allocate aid to needy schools. This system will help schools in traditionally impoverished areas and ease the burden of private education. NSAT results are also useful to universities when evaluating applicants. Due to the gap in academic standards throughout the country, it is only natural that a student’s academic performance should be compared to that of his or her peers. NSAT results also provide invaluable data to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation. It is neither perfect not popular, but the NSAT is one of our best evaluation tools, and we students have an obligation to take it seriously.

Kim Ye-ji,

Hanguk Academy of Foreign Studies, and Cho Hoon-hyun, Myungduk Foreign Language High School