Experts at odds over university reform bill
Five experts showed different perspectives on a bill to reform Korea’s universities in a public hearing held on Tuesday at the National Assembly.The bill, likely to be passed at a preliminary session of the National Assembly in April, was designed to reduce the university entrance quota by supporting the Education Ministry’s university evaluation. The ministry plans to reduce the entrance quota to 400,000 from the current 560,000 by 2023, as the number of prospective university students is expected to decrease.
Kim Byoung-joo, an education professor of Yeungnam University, supported the bill to maintain competitiveness of each university and boost regional development.
“If the reduction of the entrance quota is solely based on students’ choice, it could lead to more serious separation between schools in the Seoul metropolitan area and schools outside of it,” Kim said. “Also reducing the quota the same amount in every university is not reasonable.”
But Lim Chae-hong, a law professor of Korea National Open University, expressed concern over the bill because “the education minister will be given all of rights to conduct the university reform.”
He also said it is contradictory for the bill to claim to improve education quality by reducing the entrance quota.
“Tuition is a main source of income in a university. In most of private schools, low education quality will follow the reduction,” Lim said.
There was concern that the ministry’s assessment could have an impact on each university’s autonomy. Kim Min-koo, a computer science professor of Ajou University, suggested giving autonomy to schools to carry out reforms on their own.
On closing poorly managed universities, the experts were divided into two sides. In the bill, schools that choose to close are allowed to either give their assets to a public foundation or allow their assets to be allocated by a third party designated by the law.
“Universities have to prepare to push reform by themselves,” Park Kyung-mee, a mathematics professor at Hongik University, said. “We have to give them some choice, even if it’s temporary.”
However Lee Su-yeon of Korea Higher Education Research Institute opposed the bill, claiming that schools should not be entitled to make decisions about how their assets are handled.
BY CHUN IN-SUNG [nam.yoonseo@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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