By Na Jeong-ju
The government’s move to weed out poorly-managed, underperforming universities is gaining momentum as officials are making last-ditch efforts to draw up a set of measures to lower tuition fees.
The college restructuring is the centerpiece of its tuition policy. The Education Ministry is seeking to spend more than 1.5 trillion won next year to cover the planned tuition cuts, while adding pressure on universities to find their own ways to address high tuition to help students.
The ministry is also cutting subsidies for “hopeless” non-viable schools.
“Our principle is simple. Competitive schools will receive more support, but there will be less support for underperforming schools,” Hong Seung-yong, head of the ministry panel on college restructuring, told reporters Monday, announcing the list of 43 private schools that won’t get state subsidies next year.
“Today’s announcement marks a big first step in reforming higher-learning institutions in this country.”
The ministry is under pressure to secure enough budget to fully cover tuition cuts. By reducing subsidies for uncompetitive colleges, it wants to achieve two goals: resolving a budget shortage and enhancing the overall competitiveness of local schools.
Last year, the 43 blacklisted schools received some 130 billion won in state subsidies. As they have been disqualified from applying for the subsidies next year, the ministry can save money.
In the same vein, the ministry has urged schools to ensure transparency in the use of school funds and vowed a harsh punishment on embezzlement cases involving owners and managers. Officials hope such efforts will lead to a tuition cut.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said at an educational forum Wednesday that the government will carry though its reform drive, warning that schools failing to restructure will not survive.
“We will weed out non-viable universities as a means to upgrade the quality of education.”
Lee said the government will lead the move to slash tuition but at the same time demand schools make their own efforts to reduce students’ financial burden.
The government will announce a package of steps to bring down tuition fees today.
Still, there are many challenges ahead for the ministry to achieve the desired effects.
Some schools questioned the authenticity of the ministry’s evaluations of schools.
“The problem is that the ministry used the same evaluation criteria for all types of schools. One of its key yardsticks was the employment rate of graduating students. It is too unfair to schools specialized in sports, arts and religion,” said a spokesman for Sangmyung University in Seoul, one of the 43 schools.
“Our school has earned a good reputation and has strengths in such fields as the arts and sports. But the ministry failed to consider it when evaluating our school. It is unfair to label us as an uncompetitive school.”
Religious schools were also displeased with the ministry.
“Fifteen of 21 religious colleges boycotted the survey because they couldn’t trust the government’s evaluation criteria,” a spokesman for Holy People University in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, said asking not to be named. “Is it sensible to assess religious schools with the employment rate? Students choose us to study religion and become religious leaders, not to get a job.”
The spokesman claimed his school repeatedly asked the ministry to discontinue such an unfair evaluation, but that its demand was ignored. “We are being victimized in the government’s tuition-cut drive,” he said.
Education officials said college restructuring is one of the top priorities to ensure efficiency in the educational sector.
The government had come up with a package of restructuring programs in the 2000s by promoting mergers and acquisitions among colleges and universities. But, the programs made little progress as school operators refused to give up their vested interests, critics say.
Political parties have agreed that college tuition fees should be cut and college restructuring is needed, but differed on the details. They agreed to continue dialogue to narrow the divide over how much tuition should be cut, and when as well as how to cover the costs.