10 universities wrongfully received student guidance budget

A national university planned to carry out on-campus security coaching activities in which teaching staff patrol the campus at night for eight hours a week last year. It was because it would be eligible for the “student guidance budget” of up to 6.9 million won per year. But staff members took pictures for proof in just two spots in just 20 minutes, and some of them changed their clothes while taking the photos. It was to make the photos look like they were taken over the course of two days. The university fraudulently received 1.17 billion won. This is part of the findings of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, which investigated how the budget was spent in 12 national universities throughout the country and reported the result on Tuesday. 　

According to the report, 10 out of 12 universities wrongfully received 9.4 billion won last year with false safety coaching and student counseling or by overstating their activities. The 12 universities investigated were Pusan National University, Pukyong National University, Kyungpook National University, Chungnam National University, Chungbuk National University, JeonBuk National University, Jeju National University, Kongju National University, Sunchon National University, Korea National University of Education, Korea National Open University and University of Seoul. 　

The budget was allocated after allowances that used to be given to teaching staff as part of their wage from public university supporting fees were abolished, and is distributed on a sliding scale in accordance with student counseling and safety guidance activities. However, the investigation revealed that they were paid regardless of their activities. 　

A national university paid a professor 130,000 won per text message to students, which took some five minutes. The text messages were mainly asking how they were doing during the pandemic. The professor received 3.7 million won over the course of 28 times. Another national university recognized e-mails sent by teaching staff that contained announcements on the university website as “mentoring” when at least one student out of a group that consisted some 30 students received it. This is how 551 teaching staff received 100,000 won per case and 2.755 billion won in total.


Ye-Na Choi yena@donga.com