Presidents of Private Universities Are against Private School Law

Presidents of private universities and chairmen of boards of directors are raising objections to the government and the ruling party’s movement to turn over the right of personnel management to the presidents and to revise the private school law so that the School Governing Committee and the University Reviewing Committee are allowed to deliberate on management of major school affairs.

The Council of Presidents of Korean Private Universities, the Korean University Developing Committee, and the Federation of Private Schools in Korea are collectively holding a conference on August 17 in Yoeuido, Seoul to talk about “college education in the global age.” About 700 presidents of private universities and chairmen of boards of directors are expected to participate in the conference.

The presidents of private universities have agreed to adopt a resolution titled, “Introspection of Private Schools and Resolution of the Autonomy of Schools,” with reflections and suggestions about private schools.

It seems that the resolution will refer to the awakening of private schools, as the students of private schools are decreasing, and a proposal for the government to lighten restrictions.

The participants have condemned the government and the ruling party’s movement to revise the private school law as an “act that goes against the times” on their handouts pre-released on August 16.

Shin Geuk-bum, the president of the Council of Presidents of Korean Private Universities, said, “The direction of the government’s revision is the same as returning to the private school policy of the Fifth Republic.”

Shin added, “The current law on private schools emphasizes public value too much among private school’s autonomy and public value. Autonomy for the general governance of the schools, like administration, finance, and selection of students, is needed.”

Lee Gwang-ja, the president of Seoul Women’s University, said, “Regulating all private schools because of the corruption of a few private schools is not right. The government’s movement to strengthen regulations goes against the times, and giving autonomy to schools according to each school’s specialties and ideologies is right.”

Lee Sang-ju, former minister of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources and the president of Sungshin Women’s University, pointed out that the government and the ruling party’s revision bill could cause conflicts and confusion, and that it contains the danger that the schools might be deprived of their power to run schools by extremists.

Stephen Trachtenberg, the president of George Washington University, and Dadao Giyonari, the president of Hosei University, will be participating in the conference on August 17, and will hold speeches saying, “Private schools only can develop without strong regulations.”

Seong-Chul Hong sungchul@donga.com