University Indirect Support of 100 Billion Won... Ministry of Education Increases 3rd Supplementary Budget by 246.2 Billion Won

Building Primary and Secondary Education Infrastructure
Replacing Outdated Computer Networks at National Universities
Creating Public Jobs Such as Online Remote Assistants

On the 19th, students belonging to Corona University Student 119 held a press conference demanding tuition refunds in front of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Ministry of Education has secured 100 billion KRW in funds to indirectly support universities that refund tuition fees.

The Ministry of Education announced on the 4th that the third supplementary budget for 2020, which includes this provision, passed the National Assembly on the 3rd. With this supplementary budget, the Ministry of Education's project budget increased by 505.3 billion KRW. The reduction amounted to 259.1 billion KRW, resulting in a net increase of 246.2 billion KRW.

In response to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Ministry of Education increased the budget by 100 billion KRW to support universities' non-face-to-face education. This is done indirectly by expanding the spending cap for improving education and research environments under the University Innovation Support Project from 30% to 40%. Of this, 76 billion KRW is allocated to four-year universities and 24 billion KRW to junior colleges.

The Ministry of Education allocated 270.8 billion KRW to build infrastructure for elementary and secondary education to enhance remote education capabilities. High-performance wireless networks will be installed in all classrooms of elementary, middle, and high schools by next year, and 200,000 outdated computers and laptops will be replaced. Additionally, improvements will be made to the functions of EBS Online Class and e-HakSseupTeo, and pilot schools will operate textbooks utilizing online content.

Expansion of Scholarship Support for University Students Employed or Starting Businesses in Small and Medium Enterprises
"Policy Exploration as Part of the Korean New Deal"

480 billion KRW is allocated for replacing outdated computer networks and transitioning to cloud systems at national universities, 3.3 billion KRW for strengthening teachers' remote education capabilities, and 3.9 billion KRW for building edutech platforms including the development of Korean Massive Open Online Course (K-MOOC) content.

Furthermore, through the supplementary budget, public jobs will be created via research assistants at university-affiliated research institutes and online remote helpers at university remote education support centers, and the scale of Hope Ladder scholarships for university students employed by or starting businesses in small and medium enterprises will be expanded.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "This supplementary budget focuses on immediately expanding digital infrastructure at schools and universities and providing emergency financial support in response to the rapidly changing educational environment due to COVID-19. As part of the Korean New Deal, we will explore various policy measures and ensure that the supplementary budget is used appropriately as a starting point for a major transformation in education."