Students study at a North Korean classroom in this April 29, 2021 file photo captured from Meari hompage. Yonhap

Scores of high schools in North Korea are preparing to introduce an elective course system in the new school year, state media reported Wednesday.

Under the pilot system, students will be able to choose elective courses in liberal arts, natural science, arts, physical education and technology in accordance with their aptitude, the North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said. North Korea usually starts its new school year in April.

The newspaper said high schools are preparing for the system by arranging faculty, classrooms and various teaching materials.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who studied in Switzerland, has pushed to reform the country's education sector by extending its mandatory education period to 12 years from 11 years and separating middle schools from high schools.

As part of such a move, the North has expanded its elective course system at universities and a school in Pyongyang for gifted students. (Yonhap)