University Presidents Meet Transition Committee to Propose 'Expansion of Financial Support for Higher Education' and More

Focused Proposal on Four Major Higher Education Policies
Emphasis on Continuous Expansion of RIS Project

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] University presidents met with the new government's presidential transition committee to intensively propose four major policies, including the expansion of financial support for higher education.

On the 4th, the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE) announced that the KCUE and the Korea Council for College Education (KCCE) chairpersons visited the transition committee on the 1st and delivered a "Proposal for University Development" containing these contents and held a policy meeting.

At the meeting, nine chairpersons attended, including Hong Wonhwa, the next chairperson of KCUE (President of Kyungpook National University), Nam Seonghee, chairperson of KCCE (President of Daegu Health College), and Jeong Jitaek, chairperson of the Council of Private University Presidents (President of Korea University), and met with Kim Changkyung, a member of the Science and Technology Education division of the transition committee.

During the meeting, KCUE focused on proposing four major higher education policies: ▲ enactment of a Special Act on Financial Support for Higher Education to secure higher education funding ▲ deregulation of university establishment and operation requirements and customized university evaluations ▲ fostering regional research-oriented universities ▲ creation of cooperative innovation parks for regional universities in small and medium-sized cities and comprehensive management plans for universities at risk.

KCUE also discussed policy proposals specific to national and private universities. These include improving the university basic competency diagnosis evaluation system, abolishing restrictions on the use of innovation support project funds, easing regulations on indirect research expenses, supporting universities with recovery potential for regional balanced development, and enacting national and private university laws to enhance university competitiveness.

In particular, KCUE proposed the continuous expansion of the "Local Government-University Cooperation-Based Regional Innovation Project (RIS)." Emphasizing that the RIS project is an important initiative for mutual growth and development through connections between local governments and universities, as well as between universities, they expressed the need for its sustained expansion. They requested direct support to universities rather than budget support through local governments.

Hong Wonhwa, the next chairperson of KCUE, stated, "The transition committee showed a good understanding of higher education issues and actively agreed on the need for regulatory improvements to expand university autonomy," adding, "As the new government shows great interest in education, we hope that appropriate higher education policies will be established to enhance national competitiveness."