In a statement released yesterday, the BAI said, “The number of private schools that will be inspected is 1,990, including 1,670 high, middle, and elementary schools and 325 private colleges. The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development and 16 local education offices will also be included. All matters related to school administration will be investigated.”

A special exemption worked out by the government and ruling Uri Party on January 6 excluded schools established by religious groups from inspections, but the BAI has included them on its investigation list.

Up until now, the BAI has conducted examinations of school subsidy spending and has sent special inspection teams to investigate particular issues, such as unfair admission policies.

This round of inspections will be the first to examine the general state of private school administrative and managerial affairs.

The BAI says it will look for corruption in new faculty recruitment and new student admissions, and new facilities and construction embezzlement. It will also examine how private school foundations collected and spent school development funds, and whether the level of foundational investment in the schools was proper.

The BAI also plans to examine whether school foundations conspired with local education officials to make above actions possible.

To accomplish this, the BAI will use a two-step inspection process. The first step will be conducted in March and concentrate on uncovering school corruption by examining changes in the amounts of school property and personnel recruitment frequency. The second will be conducted through April and focus on the schools that fail the first step of inspections.

“According to Board of Audit and Inspection Act, schools that don’t receive subsidies from the government are also subject to inspection,” a BAI spokesperson said.

“We will ask the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development to end its private school inspection plans because they overlap with ours,” said Lee Chang-hwan, director of the BAI social welfare inspection department. “According to Board of Audit and Inspection Act, the BAI has the right to do so.”

The BAI will prosecute those who are found guilty of embezzling school money, taking payoffs, or using school development funds for personal use. It will also ask the education office to fire the presidents of the schools involved.