By Na Jeong-ju
President Lee Myung-bak is expected to express his support for the education ministry’s ongoing college restructuring plan at today’s meeting with presidents of 10 state-run teachers colleges, officials said Monday.
The gathering, which will also draw Education Minister Lee Ju-ho and other senior educational policymakers, came amid a growing backlash among professors over what they call the ministry’s “reckless or unfair” push for change.
The minister has called for the need to revamp public and state-run colleges first to encourage reform in the private sector.
“At Tuesday’s meeting with university presidents, President Lee will stress the inevitability of college restructuring to take the country’s education to a higher level,” a presidential aide said on condition of anonymity.
“We hope the meeting will erase any misunderstandings among professors about the ongoing amendments and be an opportunity to discuss the future of Korean universities in a sincere manner.”
Under the restructuring scheme, which is tied to its tuition-cut drive, the ministry plans to weed out underperforming, non-viable schools over the next few years by reducing state subsidies. The government predicts that student enrollments at colleges may decrease by 40 percent in the next decade from the current levels.
It plans to introduce a merit-based wage system for professors, abolish the two-decade-old direct election system for presidents of state-run colleges and initiate various competition-oriented programs. It is also seeking to shut down poorly-managed universities and oust corrupt managers.
The ministry has deemed 43 private colleges as well as five state-run universities no longer eligible for full state subsidies. Some of the schools have criticized the ministry for using unfair evaluation standards.
The education ministry signed agreements with 10 state-run teachers colleges to abolish the direct election system for presidents. Instead, each school will set up their own evaluation committee to choose a president from among applicants.
In order to enhance transparency in school administration and tighten its grip on state-run schools the ministry wants to scrap the direct election system for presidents. However, professors’ groups raise their fists in opposition, saying it may increase the government’s intervention in school affairs.
In early October, dozens of professors at Kangwon National University, which was designated as one of the five “substandard” state-run colleges, tendered their resignations in protest of the ministry’s school policy.
Officials said President Lee and Education Minister Lee will also contribute to the government’s long-term measures to enhance competitiveness of state-run schools during Tuesday’s meeting,.
Under the college restructuring plan, nine state-run universities nationwide have absorbed 10 smaller nearby schools that were struggling from a shortage of students and financial difficulties, according to the ministry.