By Yun Suh-young

About 85 percent of foreign English teachers at high schools in Seoul face not being rehired next year due to a budget cut, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) said Thursday.

The education office said it cut its budget allocation for foreign teachers at high schools for 2012 by 4.4 billion won ($3.9 million). This means 225 teachers out of 266 teachers there will not have their contracts renewed upon expiration.

“We submitted the budget plan for foreign teachers at high schools to the Seoul Metropolitan Council,” said an official from the education office. “We decided to cut the budget to maximize cost efficiency in hiring foreign teachers. We concluded that foreign English teachers at high schools were less efficient than those at elementary and middle schools.”

Although the education office plans to gradually reduce the number of foreign English teachers at elementary and middle schools as well, it plans to go with the current number at least until next year.

“We have yet to decide on the budget allocation for foreign English teachers at elementary and middle schools,” the SMOE official said. “The adjusted number is near to final for high schools.”

Of the 266 teachers at high schools, the education office pays for 255 teachers, with the remaining 11 funded by district offices. The 30 teachers who will retain jobs with support from the education office are those at international or science high schools or schools specializing in the English language.

“The district offices may increase or decrease their budget for foreign English teachers on their own discretion,” the official from the SMOE said.

Although high school English teachers will be let go starting next year, this doesn’t mean the foreign teachers will be immediately laid off. Once their contracts expire, they will have fewer opportunities to renew their contracts, especially if they received poor evaluations from their employers.

The public reaction was mixed. Some welcome the education office’s budget cut, saying it is more cost efficient.

“For the past seven years, I co-taught with four foreign English teachers at my school but the quality of teaching students receive is up to luck. Some will be taught by qualified teachers where as those less fortunate will be taught by teachers who aren’t so well versed in teaching,” said a Korean teacher at an elementary school in Seoul.

“Besides, it costs too much to employ foreign English teachers. They receive housing and other expenses from the education office along with their monthly pay. I wish the office would invest more for Korean English teachers with that money.”

She said that even without the English teachers in regular classes, students will still be able to receive lessons from foreign teachers through afterschool programs.

Others are more skeptical about the education office’s decision, saying students will now have to pay for their own private English lessons.

“Kids who can afford private English lessons will be okay, but those who are less privileged will be victimized by this decision. They are stripped of the opportunity to receive education from foreign teachers. Regardless of the quality of teachers, I think foreigners play a positive role in reducing the cultural gap with students,” said a parent in his 40s.

고교 재직 원어민 교사 85% 감원

내년부터 서울시내 고등학교에 재직중인 원어민 교사의 85%가 교직을 떠나게 된다.

서울시교육청은 고등학교 원어민 영어 교사에 대한 내년 예산 44억을 감액하기로 했다고 8일 밝혔다. 서울시내 고등학교의 전체 원어민 교사 266명 중 225명이 재계약을 못하게 되는 셈이다.

서울의 초등학교와 중학교에 있는 원어민 교사에 대해서는 아직 서울시의회 예산결산위원회가 감액할 예산을 심의 중에 있다. 결과는 15일에 발표된다. 현재까지 시의회 교육위원회를 통과해 예결위에 올라온 감면 금액은 서울시교육청이 제출한 44억 5천만원을 포함해 94억원이다.

서울시교육청 관계자는 “비용 효율적인 측면에서 감액을 결정하게 되었다”며 “고등학교 보다는 초, 중학교에서 원어민 교사의 필요도가 더 높다”고 말했다. 서울시교육청은 초, 중학교에 대해서는 감액안을 제출하지 않았지만 시의회에서는 감액 조치를 할 것으로 보인다.

현재 서울시내 고등학교에 재직 중인 266명의 원어민 교사들 중 255명은 서울시교육청이 지원하고 나머지 11명은 지자체에서 지원하고 있다.

교육청 관계자는 “지자체에서는 자체적으로 원어민 교사를 지원하기 때문에 예산을 증액할 수도 있고 감면할 수 있다”고 전했다.