Dislike of Science and Engineering Studies Cripples the Nation

University deans of engineering and science faculties nationwide decided to exert their efforts to revitalize science and engineering studies.

The University Deans Council, comprised of natural science faculties, engineering faculties and agriculture faculties, gathered on Wednesday at the Palace Hotel in downtown Seoul to establish the “Council of National University Deans Concerned About the Future of the Republic of Korea” and announced a “proposition to the president” at noon.

This is the first time that a coalition of 216 deans of engineering and science faculties organized an emergency countermeasure council to make a formal recommendation to the government.

“Because of a fear of a crisis that the nation is likely to encounter if we neglect the students’ disliking of academic majors such as engineering and science, we, as deans, have to take action in person,” the council explained concerning the background. 14 representatives of deans of science and engineering faculties across the country attended the meeting.

“The government must prepare a long term plan that ensures the nation will secure sufficient human resources critical for the next decade. It is time for all of us, including the government, universities and the society, to seriously deliberate this issue together,” said Prof. Kim Ha-suk, (dean of the Natural Science Faculty in Seoul National University) president of the National Natural Science Faculty Deans Committee.

The council advised the president to draw up tangible inducements, such as establishment of an emergency council that the legislature, the administration and the industry, as well as the academies to work together; betterment of female science or engineering graduate employment; reform of the college admission system in a bid to allow high school graduates who majored in humanities to major in science or engineering during their tertiary studies; vitalization of corporate and government investment to improve the quality of tertiary education; additional dormitories and introduction of the alternative service instead of the military service.

University deans also held a “Measures to Revive Science and Engineering” symposium along with government officials and policy makers of each political party last week and had gatherings across the nation to garner voices.

“The science and engineering schools suffer greatly from a lack of outstanding students as a majority of top students have recently opted to study mainly medicine, dentistry, oriental medicine, pharmacy, or veterinary science. University deans nationwide agreed that if only South Korean elite high school graduates continue to avoid studying science and technology, areas where international competition is fierce, South Korea will be seriously affected,” said Han Min-gu (dean of the Engineering Faculty in the Seoul National University), the president of the National Engineering Faculty Deans Committee.

“No other people of nations which we compete with are required to have the compulsory two to three year military service like Korea, when they really need to focus on their study. So we need an alternative service to replace the military conscript service,” one college dean said.

There are also rising voices that the demand to expand basic infrastructure such as dormitories to help science and engineering students carry out experiments until the late night and a demand for betterment of the college admission system to enable universities to select outstanding students like winners of academic Olympiads. In addition, some pointed out that the government policy needs to maintain consistency. Text books were often changed and research funds were often cut out whenever the government changed leadership.

“The growth engine of Israel, which has had a rapid development of around 10 percent of growth each year since 1995 based on the development of software and communications areas, is due to its highly skilled science and technology human resources which account for 135 per 10,000 of its population,” university deans said.

podragon@donga.com