One Out of Every Four Universities and Colleges Will Shut Down

As the government performs structural reforms of universities, 87 universities (one out of every four colleges and universities) will be closed by 2009, and it seems that the restructuring of colleges and universities is making significant progress.

Also, matriculation management, of which the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development has been taking responsibility for, will be transferred to the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE). Upon deliberation with universities, the KCUE will now take the responsibilities of planning and carrying out academic aptitude tests, planning admission schedules, and developing admission rules.

On December 28, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE) released its plans for the restructuring and autonomy of universities.

According to the plans, for the improvement of educational environments and the characterization of national universities, the MOE plans to reduce the entrance quota by 15 percent from 83,000 students to 71,000 students by 2009. To start off, the MOE plans to reduce the entrance quota by 10 percent by 2007.

Also, the MOE will present a standard number and ratio of full-time staff to private universities, hence promoting reduction of entrance quotas and the increase in staff. The MOE will also promote the unification of universities and colleges of the same foundation.

By enacting its special law on restructuring universities, the MOE plans to mitigate the requisite of shutting down private universities.

Starting next year, the MOE will support two or three national universities which promote unification by providing 20 billion won (total 60 billion won) every two to four years, and 10 to 15 colleges, which lead the structural reform, will be provided with two to eight billion won (total 40 billion won).

The universities and colleges which receive the support will have to reduce their entrance quotas by more than 10 percent by 2006, and private colleges will have to follow the MOE’s staffing ratio standard.

The MOE forecasts that by enforcing these plans, 87 universities and colleges (24.3 percent) will shut down by 2009 among the current 358 universities and colleges nationwide. The entrance quota will be reduced by 90,500 students as well.

Meanwhile, the MOE also plans to expand the autonomy of schools by abolishing articles of association, mitigating permission conditions of disposing properties, and allowing the foundation to only report appointments and dismissals of the board of directors.

In-Chul Lee inchul@donga.com