By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
PUSAN _ Dong-A University, a prominent private school, will offer three semesters a year next year to push students to work harder, Shim Bong-gun, the 12th Dong-A president, said in an interview with The Korea Times.
Shim plans devote himself to providing student-friendly programs so that students will want to study harder.
``It is our fault that the Korean education system allows many college students not to study, especially with a vacation that goes for two and half months, which is too long,’’ Shim said.
``Students have a three-and-a-half month spring semester and two and half months of holidays. Hence Dong-A will introduce a three-semester school year,’’ he said.
If Dong-A adopts the three-semester system, the school will have only a summer vacation of 20 days and no winter break.
``The system will be helpful for both students and professors. Professors currently have three courses for two semesters but under the new system, they can teach two courses for three semesters. This will be better for professors since they can take time to prepare better lectures.’’
Under the system students can gain a degree in only three years and study abroad if they need to. ``We should run the school properly for the year and remove time for students to be negligent. Also, students who need to major in other studies can take time for further studies, said Shim. ``Dong-A will not be a school where students neglect their studies _ as happens at many universities now.’’
Shim said that he agrees with Education Minister Kim Shin-il in that the poor graduate education of universities weakens their global competitiveness.
``Kim said if colleges produce excellent theses and papers for famous journals, it would be good only for the school itself. However students should be the beneficiaries of the education system,’’ he said.
Hence the school will focus on strengthening both education and research together. According to the school’s plan, the professors will be divided into two groups; one to educate students well and the other to specialize in research.