UIPH, Ministry of Education Reiterate Concerns Over 'Medical School Expansion' Plan... "Will Confirm in Year-End Evaluation"

Ministry of Education Briefing Points Out "Based on 30-Year-Old Standards"
Private University Financial Plans Show "Deteriorated Investment Capacity"
Standards to Be Finalized This Month with Judgments Early Next Year
Ministry of Education "Preparing Conditions, Do Not Create Anxiety"

The Ministry of Education is currently pushing forward practical procedures to increase the admission quota for medical schools next year, but it is facing conflicts with the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE), an organization that evaluates and certifies the quality of medical education.

On the 4th, after the Ministry of Education rebutted KIMEE's concerns about the 'decline in education quality,' KIMEE stated, "It is quite worrisome that they keep repeating that eight students per professor is sufficient."

On the 5th, in a phone interview with Asia Economy, Ahn Deok-seon, president of KIMEE, said, "That standard was created in 1996 under the university establishment and operation regulations," adding, "I am concerned whether meeting the '1 to 8' ratio, which is a 30-year-old standard, can ensure proper medical education in 2025 or 2030."

O Seok-hwan, Deputy Minister of Education
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The previous day, Oh Seok-hwan, Deputy Minister of Education, held an emergency briefing and stated, "The legal standard for medical school faculty is eight students per professor, but currently, the average number of students per faculty member at 40 medical schools is 1.6, and even the university with the highest ratio has 4.8 students per faculty member, comfortably meeting the legal standard." He also warned KIMEE not to create unnecessary anxiety.

President Ahn also pointed out that the Ministry of Education's financial plans for private universities are insufficient. He said, "Some private universities are not financially stable, and if the government simply intermediates loans, wouldn't that further reduce their investment capacity?"

The Medical Service Act grants eligibility to take the national medical licensing examination only to those who graduate from medical schools accredited by the medical education evaluation and certification. Medical schools that fail to obtain accreditation may face suspension of new student admissions or restrictions on new students' eligibility to take the medical licensing exam. The medical community is concerned that some universities may fail to pass accreditation if they cannot properly prepare facilities and faculty due to this increase in admissions.

KIMEE plans to receive major change plans from universities by November and announce the evaluation results in February next year. Thirty medical schools that fall under 'major changes,' such as increasing admission quotas by more than 10%, are subject to KIMEE's evaluation. President Ahn said, "This does not mean we are prejudging that universities will not be prepared," adding, "We will check how well they are prepared in the major change evaluation at the end of the year."