Medical schools move to resume classes amid students' continued boycott

A classroom of a medical school in Daegu is left empty as students have boycotted classes to protest the government's plan to extend the national medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 places, March 25. Yonhap

Several medical schools have decided to resume classes this week, after nearly two months on hiatus due to students’ protests against the government's proposed expansion of the medical school enrollment quota.

Over 10,000 students at medical schools across the country have applied for a leave of absence and boycotted classes in protest of the policy to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 starting next year.

The schools' decision comes as the failure to resume classes by mid-April would lead to disruptions to the academic calendar, putting many students in a situation where they would need to repeat the year.

It remains to be seen whether students decide to return to classes amid the protracted confrontation between the government and the doctors' community.

Kyungpook National University decided to resume classes for its medical school on Monday and notified both faculty and students.

The university had initially commenced classes on Feb. 13 but halted after a week as medical students nationwide started collective action.

Despite the university’s effort to persuade students to return by extending classes five times, it became evident that further delays would be untenable.

The current plan is to resume lectures for first- and second-year students online and start clinical practice for third- and fourth-year students from April 15 in a face-to-face format.

According to Lim Sang-kyu, the dean of academic affairs at Kyungpook National University, there is some agreement on the necessity of resuming classes, but students still hold different opinions. So far, there have been no reported refusals among students, although some have asked for details since the announcement of resuming classes.

Jeonbuk National University is also set to restart classes of its medical school on Monday after multiple extensions, as a total of 641 out of 665 medical school students have applied for a leave of absence at the university.

Chonnam National University plans to resume classes for its medical school in mid-April, while Gachon University's medical school has already begun online classes as of April 1.

Under the Higher Education Act, universities are mandated to fulfill 30 weeks of classes annually. Typically, schools try to ensure a minimum of 15 weeks of lecture hours per semester.

Simultaneous delays of classes and tests could add significant pressure not only on students but also on medical professors, who are tasked with both lecturing and providing medical care to patients at the same time.

Medical school faculty and students hold protest signs opposing the government's decision to increase the medical school admission quota at Chonnam National University, Friday. Yonhap

As medical schools push to restart classes, the focus is on whether numerous medical students on leave will return or not.

Each university anticipates a substantial number of students to come back as they are actively seeking to persuade students and offer alternative plans like online lectures, considering the pressure on students to return.

If students don’t attend classes even after the resumption, it could result in students failing and potentially being held back. Most medical schools impose fail grades if a student misses more than a third or a quarter of class days in a given subject.

The Ministry of Education plans to assess whether medical schools have resumed classes this week and determine resumption dates for those that haven't.