Catholic Medical School Professors Demand Education Ministry Apologize for Outrageous Remarks Against Uipeongwon... Strong Protest

"Must First Clarify How to Ensure the Quality of Medical School Education"

The Emergency Response Committee (ERC) of the Catholic University College of Medicine Professors' Association demanded an apology from the Ministry of Education, which publicly criticized the claims made by the president of the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE). The KIMEE president had expressed concerns about the educational environment of medical schools in Korea.

Catholic University College of Medicine
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 5th, the ERC stated in a press release, "Our committee strongly protests the outrageous remarks made by the Deputy Minister of Education," and questioned, "On what basis does he claim that concerns about the decline in the quality of medical education are unfounded?"

On the 4th, Oh Seok-hwan, Deputy Minister of Education, held an emergency briefing on medical school education at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "We express deep concern and regret over the KIMEE president's baseless prejudgment about the decline in the quality of medical education, which has continuously caused anxiety through media interviews."

In response, the ERC demanded, "We demand an immediate apology for the Deputy Minister's remarks, which seem to attempt to force KIMEE into submission through government pressure." They added, "If the Ministry of Education is confident in refuting concerns about the decline in medical school education quality, the proper order is to first disclose what support is planned for the universities with increased enrollment next year and how the quality of medical education will be guaranteed when the enrollment expands to more than three times the current number."

They further stated, "The Deputy Minister's remark that the quality of medical education can be guaranteed because the legal standard of eight students per medical school professor, based on a 30-year-old criterion, is being met, proves that the Ministry of Education has no understanding of medical education at all."

The ERC emphasized again, "The role of the Ministry of Education is not to pressure a neutral evaluation institution to justify unjustified enrollment increases," and urged, "The Ministry should reflect on its fundamental mission to improve students' educational conditions through proper education policies and to foster university autonomy and creativity. Stop intimidating the committee members and apologize."