The government will slash the scholarship quota for foreign students to 400 from the expected 700 next year. This will ignite competition and force many students to study elsewhere. The government is also moving not to provide scholarships to students beyond the preset period. The reduction is a challenge for prospective students and the academic world.
The budget reduction will not affect existing students with scholarships. They will continue to benefit under the grandfather rule.
Originally, the government planned to increase the quota to 2,100 students from 120 countries by next year. The plan will be delayed further. Instead foreign students can apply for private scholarships.
Existing students must complete degrees within a preset period. Currently, they can get additional scholarship funding when they extend studying for master’s and doctoral degrees by six to 12 months. The extra scholarships might be phased out in the future. The government says lazy students should not receive additional tuition.
The reduction is in line with its policy of upgrading the quality of the government-invited students. The reality is the railroading of next year’s budget at the National Assembly.
Lawmakers of the education committee had reached a compromise not to slash the scholarship budget. The bipartisan compromise was not reflected in the final budget as the ruling party railroaded the government budget without revision.
The quota reduction might make young non-Koreans wonder whether Korea is a predictable country.
Korea should not be stingy in inviting talented foreign students for educational purposes. It is a long-term investment in Korea. Many Fulbright recipients in the 1950s to the 1980s have played a key role in making Korea what it is today.
Korea is an attractive place to study for young students from many developing countries, including Asia, Africa and Latin America. They are here to learn the secrets of the Miracle on the Han River. When they return home, they will be elite policymakers and leaders.
Their positive image of Korea is quite beneficial for future relations between the country and their home nations.
Policymakers should activate engagement and communication with the students now studying here. The provision of scholarships alone is not enough. Seoul needs to activate post-scholarship services to these elite students. Schools must be encouraged to improve the living environment for the guest students. Many foreign students have difficulty in learning the Korean language. Introduction of more English-only classes will not only help foreign students but also local students to foster a bilingual study culture.
The number of foreign students approaches 90,000, with Chinese accounting for 75 percent or 67,000. Most of them enroll in universities outside of Seoul where the enrollment rate is low. A survey of 1,220 Chinese students here showed that 41 percent have negative sentiments on Korea. The survey showed that the longer they stay in Korea, the less friendly they become.
Foreign students are invaluable assets for Korea. They are potential ambassadors for Korea. The government alone cannot finance the tuition of talented foreign students. The private sector needs to get on the band wagon and also support scholarships for them.