Cash-for-admission practices continue at universities
By Na Jeong-ju
The state auditor revealed Wednesday that nine universities spent up to 2.9 billion won ($2.57 million) to attract 72 athletes between 2009 and 2011 in violation of the government’s guidelines that prohibit such cash-for-admission practices.
It also said some professors of an art college in Seoul allegedly colluded to give high scores to certain applicants of admission tests and many art professors in the capital area are giving expensive private lessons to high school students.
The revelation indicates rampant admission fraud involving colleges of arts and physical education.
The education ministry said it will inspect the possible fraud cases based on the probe by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI). The board didn’t reveal the names of relevant universities and professors.
Some private schools have hired scouts to attract promising athletes. The government banned such practices following a series of reports about corrupt deals involving parents, coaches and universities.
The BAI’s audit, however, shows that’s not a done story.
In one case, a college paid 560 million won to a high school in Seoul in return for attracting seven talented athletes from the school, the auditor said.
It also revealed that some applicants submitted falsified credentials on achievements at local and international competitions to gain admission.
“Some universities were found to have paid for overseas trips by high school teachers to attract students,” a BAI spokesman said. “We’ve asked the education ministry to launch a full-scale investigation into the admission fraud cases.”
Last week, BAI said a number of universities violated or bypassed admission regulations to accept favored students. They accepted over 860 unqualified students through the government’s special admission systems for the past three years.
More than 500 unqualified students entered on admission allotments for those from farming and fishing villages during the period. In addition, some students manipulated records showing the period of overseas residence and academic achievements to gain admissions allotted for children of Koreans living abroad.
The parents of the violators include government officials, professors, lawyers and school teachers, according to the BAI.