교과서 가격자율화 정책의 전개 가능성 탐색

Abstract

The central government in Korea has maintained a low-price policy for school textbooks through a control system called the Textbook Price Assessment System. The present government, which emphasizes the role of the market and competition in education, announced in 2009 that it would pursue a deregulation policy for school textbook prices, abolishing its long-sustained low-price policy. The new policy of deregulating textbook prices in Korea is expected to contribute to the improvement of textbooks. However, it is also expected to lead to higher school textbook prices for both the government and parents. For that reason, the government should develop a new textbook price policy that can both improve textbooks and curb the sharp increase of textbook prices. In that context, this study aims to analyze possible policy trends regarding the deregulation of textbook prices for newly-implemented school textbooks in Korea. First, historical changes in textbook price policies in Korea and Japan are examined. Second, three scenarios are examined.: 1) the deregulation of textbook prices is nominally implemented, 2) the deregulation of textbook prices is implemented as an adjusted ceiling price system, and 3) the deregulation of textbook prices is genuinely implemented to improve the quality of school textbooks. These three policies have both advantages and disadvantages. A variety of issues regarding the deregulation policies are examined in each of the scenarios. Third, concerns that the government should pay attention to in implementing a deregulation policy for textbook prices are added as a conclusion.