Self-funded private high schools (SPH) have been under pilot-study since 2002. Though positive and negative aspects of SPH have been explored to some extent, the budget implications of their expansion have not been fully studied. The current research,...
Self-funded private high schools (SPH) have been under pilot-study since 2002. Though positive and negative aspects of SPH have been explored to some extent, the budget implications of their expansion have not been fully studied. The current research, targeting 260 private high schools, examines how many schools are willing to become 'self-funded' when they are given a broader range of self-regulation in areas such as student tuition and curriculum. The survey shows that 105 private high schools (40.5% of the respondents) are willing to make a transition to SPH. The number of schools rises to 196 (28.1% of all general private high schools) given the assumption that the transition rate of those who do not respond is a half of the respondents. The 105 high schools are evenly distributed across the country and across Seoul. If 105 schools become self-funded, the government can save up to 247 billion KW a year. When 196 schools become SPH, the budget saving goes up to 464 billion KW, which is 18.2% of the government subsidies to private high schools.