Decreasing Military PCs... Soldiers' Self-Development Also Declines

As Mobile Phone Usage Increases, Decrease in Military PCs Leads to Fewer University Lectures and Certification Holders

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Opportunities for military personnel to engage in self-development during their service period are decreasing. Although personal computers (PCs) were installed in military cyber knowledge information rooms and self-development programs were expanded, the spread of mobile phones has led to a reduction in PCs.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 7th, each branch of the military plans to reduce the number of PCs in cyber knowledge information rooms within units due to soldiers' use of mobile phones. The number of PCs, which was 40,425 last year (one PC per 8 soldiers), is planned to be reduced to 32,000 this year and only 20,000 (one PC per 16 soldiers) by 2026.

Despite increasing the number of university remote lectures and raising subsidies as the number of PCs decreases, the number of military personnel taking university courses has been declining every year. Although the budget for self-development is increased annually under the pretext of self-improvement, it is virtually ineffective.

The number of university remote lectures available to military personnel during their service was 4,143 in 2018, increased to 4,255 in 2020, and reached 5,248 last year. Through these lectures, military personnel can earn from 2 to 6 credits per semester depending on each university's academic regulations. Tuition support has also increased. In 2019, only 50% of tuition was supported, but from this year, support has increased up to 80%. The budget for soldiers' self-development has also expanded significantly, from 7.595 billion KRW in 2018 to 50.7 billion KRW this year.

However, the effect has been minimal. The number of military personnel taking university remote lectures decreased from 21,595 in 2020 to 19,445 last year, and has plummeted to around 10,000 this year. The number of those obtaining national technical qualifications has also declined. The number of certificate holders was 18,847 in 2018, dropped to 8,437 in 2020, and was only 6,232 last year.

A military official said, "We will foster an educational culture through policy promotions such as self-development essay contests."