South Korea will reduce the size of high school classes to match international standards as part of an effort to provide a better educational environment, the government said Monday.

Under the envisioned plan, the class size of an average high school will be reduced to an average of 24 students by 2022 from last year's 30, the Ministry of Education said.

Also, the ratio of high school students to teachers will be cut from 16.6 to 13.3, according to the plan.

The plan is in line with standards set by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries.

In 2014, the per class average of students for OECD countries was 23 students in primary and secondary schools, but there are significant differences between countries, ranging from over 30 in S. Korea to below 20 in some European countries.

The ministry said it also plans to increase debate during classes and evaluate students also on their talents and aptitude instead of solely on grades. (Yonhap)