[Editorial] Problems of BK 21 Disclosed One After Another

BK 21, which started with the goal of training high-qualified core human resources, revealed problems again. The Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea (BAI) pointed out that during the process of selecting business group for BK 21 and supporting the business fund, there were problems of unfairness; the then Minister of Education (current Ministry of Education and Human Resources) improperly intervened in the process. The BAI announced that when the formal Minister chose ten members of the committee on planning and coordination of the BK 21 business, he selected four people, who were not recommended, including two persons who were directly related to the university in which the Minister served as president. The formal Minister also allowed a particular university, which was not selected, to receive benefits through the expedient means, said the BAI.

BK 21, which started under the slogan of rearing graduate school-centered universities in 1999, is a `grand business of the national policy` that provides 200 billion won per year for seven years (a total amount of 1.5705 trillion won). It called attention in the beginning since it was expected to achieve the landmark reform of the poor university education condition and to improve the quality of the university education. In fact, there are positive evaluations about the business. For instance, the number of publications in the international academic journals has increased and the competitive environment between professors and students has been spreading.

However, the problems related to the BK 21 business are ceaseless. For example, debates over the selection criteria are unending. The field of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the local universities, which receive relatively less benefit, express the complaints. It is pointed out that some professors use the supporting funds arbitrarily or give out money to the students who are not the recipients of the funds, as if `sharing the easy money`.

Recently, students of the Department of Physics Education at Seoul National University filed lawsuit against the government claiming for compensation because there is only one professor left after other professors transferred to other departments due to the BK 21 business. It is regretful that the problem-ridden business seems to become more downtrodden with the disclosure of improper intervention. The business, which has five more years left, should not end as a feast that shares the taxes that are extorted from the people. Supporting funds should be distributed accurately in accordance with the research achievement and the details on the use of funds should be publicized. The education ministry should be specially careful to achieve the balance in developing scholarships in order not to isolate other fields of scholarship that were not included in the BK 21 business.