Emphasizing 'Public Interest' Amid Medical Community Opposition
'Protecting Students' Learning Rights' Principle Remains the Same
"Return Deadline, Each University to Decide Autonomously"
Shortened Operation Plan Also "Under University Review"
As the medical community opposed the Ministry of Education's measure to approve conditional leave of absence for medical students, the Ministry responded, "We cannot guarantee university autonomy while disregarding public interest." The Ministry plans to distribute an official letter containing the details of the measures to each university on the 7th.
Shim Min-cheol, Director of Talent Policy Planning at the Ministry of Education, said at a regular briefing at the Government Complex Sejong on the same day, in response to the question, "Will you maintain the current principle until the end of February next year?" that "the medical field is a sector with high public interest as it deals with the life and health of the people." He reiterated, "While respecting university autonomy, some level of guidance and supervision regarding public interest is necessary from the perspective of national public welfare."
The day before, the Ministry of Education announced through the 'Emergency Measures for Normalizing Medical School Academics' that it would approve leave of absence on the condition that medical students who have not returned to classes come back by the start of the first semester next year to persuade them to return. In response, the Korean Medical Association opposed, stating, "Medical students' leave of absence is based on free will, and the state cannot force their return."
Regarding the implementation plan for the measures, the Ministry said, "We plan to execute the universities' emergency measures within today," adding, "Each university will establish a plan through discussions with the university headquarters and colleges to prioritize efforts for students' return, and set a return deadline by determining the academic schedule for the first or second semester according to each university's academic operation."
Concerning the specific return deadline, the Ministry stated, "We will let universities decide autonomously," and added, "Once the official letter is implemented, universities will discuss and report on curriculum operation matters to determine the approximate timing."
Regarding the review of a 5-year medical program, which the medical community opposed, the Ministry said, "It is not uniformly applied to universities but is a decision for each university," and added, "If students return and universities propose to graduate them earlier through an accelerated program, we are willing to accept it anytime." Citing the U.S. as an example, the Ministry explained, "In the U.S., through the volunteer military system, when troops are dispatched overseas, military doctors are also deployed. If there is a need to produce military doctors quickly, there is a process of compressing the curriculum while maintaining the total credits."
Director Shim explained the purpose of the current measures, saying, "The flexible academic operation policy announced on July 10 was based on the principle that there should be no medical service gaps and that students' right to learn must be protected," and added, "The philosophy remains the same with the measures announced this time." He emphasized, "If students return, they can resume learning from next year, and we aimed to create an opportunity for students to return within a consistent philosophy and value."
Earlier, Seoul National University, which approved the leave of absence applications for about 700 affiliated medical students for the first semester in bulk last month, stated that it is currently undergoing an audit and it is difficult to provide specific details.
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