Education minister praises tuition freeze, pledges more support for national universities
Published: 20 Jan. 2025, 18:01
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- LEE TAE-HEE
- [email protected]
![Education Minister Lee Ju-ho meets with presidents and representatives of flagship national universities on Jan. 20, thanking them for deciding to freeze tuition. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/20/165847bc-4d81-467e-b764-9ca5ac712e93.jpg)
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho meets with presidents and representatives of flagship national universities on Jan. 20, thanking them for deciding to freeze tuition. [YONHAP]
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho expressed gratitude to flagship national universities for freezing tuition and pledged efforts to address the financial challenges faced by these institutions.
Minister Lee met with the presidents of flagship national universities and acting representatives on Monday, thanking them for their collective decision to freeze undergraduate tuition for the 2025 academic year. Representatives from seven universities, including Chungbuk National University, Gyeongsang National University and Pusan National University, were in attendance.
On Jan. 10, nine out of 10 flagship national universities announced a joint decision to freeze undergraduate tuition for both domestic and international students. Seoul National University, another flagship institution, had already implemented its freeze earlier, in December 2024.
"We greatly appreciate the decision of flagship national universities to freeze tuition despite financial difficulties, as it helps alleviate the tuition burden for students," said Education Minister Lee. "This is a meaningful step that expands access to higher education, strengthens universities' social responsibility and brings positive news to students and parents facing economic challenges."
Minister Lee also pledged additional financial support for the universities and invited representatives to share their needs.
"We will actively push for the extension of the special account for university funding, which is set to expire this year, and work to secure resources to ensure that national universities fulfill their roles as hubs of regional innovation and academic excellence," Lee said.
Encouraging medical students on leave to return to school was another agenda item discussed during the meeting.
Since the government announced plans to increase the admissions quota for medical schools in February 2024, many medical students have taken academic leave in protest.
"Prolonged disruptions to university classes over the past year have significantly hindered the education and training of medical personnel, creating a substantial social burden," Lee said. "We urge universities to actively communicate with these students and encourage their return to normalize medical education."
BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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