Education Ministry to speed up university deregulation

A college of medicine in Seoul [YONHAP]

Universities will be given more autonomy in curriculum management, and students will be given more leeway in choosing or changing their major from next year at the earliest, the Ministry of Education said, announcing a set of deregulatory measures.

A planned revision of the Higher Education Act's enforcement decree disclosed by the ministry on Wednesday calls for allowing universities to operate their apparatus with greater autonomy.

Universities will also be allowed to phase out barriers between departments and colleges and thus establish convergence and accept students as undecided majors, for instance, the ministry noted.

In addition, first-year students will be allowed to change their major under the new rule, while general universities will be permitted to open online degree courses freely.

Medical schools' two-year preparatory course and the four-year regular course will likely be integrated, as they will be allowed to design and operate their curriculum within the six-year span flexibly, the ministry added.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said the government will continue removing regulations that hinder changes and innovations at universities.

Yonhap