State-run colleges won’t elect presidents directly

By Na Jeong-ju

Eight state-run teachers colleges and Korea National University of Education said Thursday that they have abolished a two-decade-old system to elect their presidents directly. Instead, each school will set up their own evaluation committee to choose a president from among applicants.

The measure is in line with the education ministry’s plan to scrap the direct election system for presidents of state-run universities and colleges, which has been in place since 1991. State-run schools have elected presidents through direct voting by professors and school staff.

Today, the ministry will pick at least six “underperforming” state-run universities, which will face financial and administrative restrictions. Earlier this month, it chose 43 such private colleges that won’t get state subsidies next year.

“We’ve decided to reform the system to pick presidents to reflect changes in the educational sector,” presidents of the eight teachers colleges said in a joint statement. They are located in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gongju, Daegu, Jeonju, Jinju, Cheongju and Chuncheon, respectively.

Earlier in the day, the ministry vetoed Pusan National University’s plan to appoint Prof. Chung Yoon-sik as its new president. Chung was elected to the post in June in a direct vote by faculty members, but was later convicted of an Election Law violation and fined 4 million won.

The ministry wants to enhance transparency in school administration and tighten its grip on state-run schools by scrapping the direct election system for presidents. However, most professors have opposed the plan, saying it may increase the government’s intervention in school affairs.

The ministry said the schools dropped the direct election system voluntarily, but some school officials say they were “coerced” into doing so.

“Each state-run school is not profit-oriented and has its own function. However, they are being driven into competition,” said a spokesman for the Korea Federation of National University Professor Associations.