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| A Kyonggi University student speaks through a megaphone in the resident's office on its Suwon campus, Friday, while school authorities discuss recruitment polices for next year. / Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Scores of Kyonggi University students stormed into the president's room at the Suwon campus Friday where top school officials were discussing its recruitment policies for next year.
They demanded the university to repeal its plan to close some courses or merge them in line with the education ministry's college restructuring plan.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the controversial plan to encourage the downsizing on Jan. 28 and pledged to invest 1.3 trillion won over the next five years into select universities that follow its guidelines.
The measure is aimed at reducing the number of college graduates amid their ever-increasing rising unemployment rate, but the plan has angered many.
Students across the country organized a committee to stop the government's college restructuring plan in September when the ministry was rumored to be considering such a proposal.
Committee members say the plan will end up only aggravating the country's deep-rooted college ranking system problems.
They gathered at Gwanghwamun Square to urge the government to withdraw the plan, as some departments have already been merged or abolished at some colleges due to their graduates' low employment rates.
Some students at Seoul University have boycotted classes since March 27, demanding that the school's authorities and the ministry scrap the "ill-fated restructuring scheme."
Why universities reduce students?
After the MOE announced the restructuring plan, up to 120 universities have applied for the program and they have until April 28 to submit detailed plans. Then, 70 universities will be shortlisted in July.
Since the deadline for the "college specialization project" business plan is the end of April, colleges nationwide have agonized over how to cut their student quotas.
The ministry said it would evaluate the universities' educational environment, development and specialization plans, but also said it would give them extra points if they cut their student quotas.
University authorities objected to the plan initially. However, they said cutting quotas or merging departments was inevitable.
"The education ministry already announced that it will cut quotas at universities nationwide by 160,000 over the years, in line with the falling number of students. Besides, it said it would give extra points for those universities reducing their quotas, so the universities are actually taking it seriously," said Yoon Su-keun, a dean of the office of academic affairs at Tong Myong University in Busan.
However, a member of the student committee said reducing the number of departments and universities will just widen the gap between the universities in Seoul and those in other areas of the country.
"Prominent universities are clustered in Seoul or areas near Seoul. Those schools don't have to cut their quotas drastically, as they can manage their schools with the accumulated money of their foundations," said Jeong Tae-young, a member of the committee and also a senior at Chung-Ang University.
Jeong said the ministry should help local universities procure and cultivate talented students to bridge the gap between schools in the capital region and those in the provinces.
