The Korea MEST is responsible for the nation’s education by stipulating the national curriculum and authorizing textbooks compiled in accordance with the curriculum. The curriculum and authorizing textbooks compiled in accordance with the curriculum. The government’s education policy is crucial the national curriculum controls the teaching procure and the content. The government has revised the national curriculum every five to ten years since its first revision in 1954. The seventh and current national curriculum was introduced in December 1997, but first took effect in 2000 at the primary level and gradually expanded to senior high level in 2004. It is aimed at educating students into becoming individual and creative citizens in the globalized world with access to new knowledge and values:
To prepare students for the 21st century, the ear of globalization and knowledge based society, the Seventh /curriculum attempts to break away from the spoon fed and shot-sighted approach to education of the past towards a new approach in the classroom to produce human resources capable of fating new challenges. Study loads for each subject have been reduced to an appropriate level, while curricula that accommodate different needs of individual students have also been introduced. Independent learning activities to enhance self-directed learning required in the knowledge-based society have either been introduced or expanded.