What matters is student quality, not numbers

The Ministry of Education is launching “Study Korea 300K Project” in hopes of attracting 300,000 foreign students to Korean universities by 2027 and making Korea a top 10 destination for overseas study. To do this, it will expand the quota for non-Koreans by 70 percent from 170,000 in 2022 within the next four years. Korean Education Centers and other overseas missions will be used to attract foreign students.

Whether increasing the quota can serve the country well for competitiveness is doubtful. Students from China and Vietnam have surged from 10 years ago and caused many problems. Debates and team projects were often disrupted by students who cannot communicate well in Korean. As a result, local and foreign students clashed often. Poor academic management of foreign students and illegal stays or employment caused social problems.

In the JoongAng Ilbo interview on 36 foreign students in 2019, 78 percent said they felt the admission guidelines, including language aptitude test, should be toughened. They also found language deficiency to be a big problem. The majority, or 70 percent of them, thought students need to pass Topik (Test of Proficiency in Korean) Level 6, the highest level, to handle university courses and tests in Korea. Another 25 percent said Level 5 is high enough. Most Korean universities accept students if they pass Level 2 or 3 of the six-tier level test. Students who pass Level 2 would have language skills of an elementary school student. More than 70 percent of foreign students from China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Mongolia are not proficient in English, either.

The Education Ministry plans to allow students to apply for Korean universities with certifications in Korean proficiency from language centers instead of the official Topik score. The financing criteria to prevent illegal stays and employment also will be eased. Part-time work for foreign students also will be extended to 30 hours from current 25 hours per week.

The government may have come up with ideas to address the financial woes of universities struggling with the thinning population and political pressure against tuition raise. As a number of universities could go bankrupt, foreign students may help solve some of their problems. But making room for students who aren’t eligible cannot help universities or the country.

University standards must be enhanced so that students in other countries wish to study in them. There was a time when Korean students rushed to overseas universities which easily accepted them. But the fad soon ended as it turned out to be a waste of time and money. Universities can save themselves by concentrating on basics for students — education and research. Only then, Korea can join the top 10 as an overseas study destination.