Hong Seung-yong, head of a panel on college restructuring, announces a list of poorly-managed schools of higher education at the education ministry in Seoul, Monday. The schools will be denied state subsidies next year. / Yonhap |
Government to restrict loans for students attending 17 colleges
By Na Jeong-ju
The government won’t provide subsidies to 43 marginal private universities and vocational colleges next year as part of a set of measures to weed out poorly-managed higher education establishments.
Among the bottom-rated schools are Kyungnam University in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province; Kyungsung University in Busan; Gyeongju University; Far East University in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province; Kwangdong University in Gangneung, Gangwon Province; and Sangmyung University in Seoul.
The government will also restrict loans for students attending 17 of the 43 schools. Loans to students at the worst four schools — Kundong University in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province; Myungshin University in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province; Holy People University in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province; and Sunghwa College in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province — will be limited to only 30 percent of tuition fees next year.
The announcement followed a months-long evaluation of 346 private schools nationwide since the establishment of a 20-member panel on college restructuring on July 1.
“We’ve taken a big first step in reforming higher-learning institutions,” said Hong Seung-yong, the panel’s head, at a press conference, announcing the list of underperforming colleges.
“The selected schools will have to carry out rigorous restructuring to survive. Some of them will have to seek mergers with other schools or shut down because they are unable to remain operational.”
The Education Ministry said it is in the final stage of drawing up the list of poorly-managed state-run universities, which is expected to be made public in a few weeks.
At least six state-run schools will be subject to restructuring, it said.
The 43 schools received some 130 billion won in state subsidies last year. As they have been disqualified from applying for the subsidies next year, the money will be given to other schools that meet the ministry’s requirements.
“It’s important to oust unqualified colleges to raise the competitiveness of the country’s institutions of higher education,” Hong said. “Our principle is simple. Competitive schools will receive more support, but there will be less support for underperforming schools.”
The announcement of the list of poorly-managed schools by the education ministry came as the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea has been auditing 66 private universities across the nation since early August to look into their finances, a move to check whether they have room for cuts in high tuition fees.
The education ministry is expected to put added pressure on schools to cut tuition, using the results of the audit as a whip, according to school officials.
They said the calls for restructuring and ongoing audit of schools are designed to enforce private universities to cut tuition.
“We have been audited for weeks by state auditors. I think many schools will have to lower their tuition following the massive audit of schools,” an official from a Seoul-based private university said.
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