University presidents launch Seoul-based forum

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University presidents launch Seoul-based forum

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The presidents of 20 Seoul-based universities, including Sejong University, Soongsil University and Ewha Womans University, launched an inaugural forum Wednesday.

The new forum, headed by ChungAng University President Lee Yong-goo, was established to discuss common dilemmas colleges often face and work out solutions, according to their statement.

“These crises are caused by Korea’s lagging college education system, which results in poor competition,” it read. “The world is changing fast, but Korea’s colleges are too passive to keep up with those changes.”

In an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday, Lee acknowledged that all colleges are “just busy taking care of themselves, but have never thought deeply about their future.”

The country’s issues currently face a slew of issues, namely high unemployment among college graduates, expensive student tuition and a decline in the national population.

In the group’s first meeting, three local presidents, including Lee, addressed the current state of affairs for domestic universities. Lee discussed Korean universities’ vision and higher education in Korea, while Hwang Sun-hye, the president of Sookmyung Women’s University, talked about the overall college environment and Sogang University President Yoo Ki-pung gave a presentation on the environment outside Korean schools.

Lee added that the country’s higher education system was not helping the country’s development or society.

“Although this crisis has been seen through competition with foreign colleges and the reduction in the number of students, we have not given thought to what is happening on the outside,” Lee continued.

He also criticized the college reform policies to be carried out by the Ministry of Education, calling it “goal displacement.”

The ministry plans to reduce the college entrance quota to 400,000 from the current 560,000 by 2023, as the number of prospective college students is expected to decrease.

Its assessments will be reflected into five grades. Those colleges that don’t make the top grade will be required to significantly cut their admissions quotas.

Colleges that receive the lowest grade two consecutive times will be forced to close.

“The evaluation urges colleges to concentrate on obtaining high scores and doesn’t consider their futures,” Lee said.

BY YUN SUK-MAN [nam.yoonseo@joongang.co.kr]
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