Ministry of Education Approves Medical Students' Leave of Absence Without Conditions: "No Worries About Returning"

"The Medical Student Curriculum and Operation Plan Are University Autonomy"

The Ministry of Education has decided to approve leaves of absence for medical school students who continue to take collective leaves, based on the autonomous judgment of each university. The curriculum and operational plans for new and returning medical students next year will also be left to the autonomy of the universities.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 29th, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, held a video conference with the presidents of 40 universities operating medical schools and stated, "To create an opportunity for students to return and normalize medical school academics, leaves of absence requested by students for personal reasons will be approved based on the autonomous judgment of each university."

The Ministry of Education plans to allow each university to autonomously manage the medical school curriculum and operational plans. Shim Min-cheol, Director of Talent Policy Planning at the Ministry of Education, explained at a briefing held the following day, "(Measures such as shortening the program to 5.5 semesters) may be implemented by all 40 medical schools or only by one or two universities while others may not. There is no intention to interfere with universities; this is an area for autonomous operation." He added, "Currently, the establishment and operation of the curriculum are left to the universities, and we plan to listen to their opinions later. At this time, we are not considering additional measures for returning medical students at the Ministry level."

He also mentioned that there is no concern about the return of medical students. He said, "Since individual universities have academic regulations such as not allowing leaves of absence for more than three consecutive semesters, there is no need to worry much about their return next year."

Earlier, on the 6th, the Ministry of Education announced an 'Emergency Plan for Normalizing Medical School Academics,' guiding universities to approve leaves of absence for medical students on the premise of their return in the 2025 academic year. In response, the medical community and universities have demanded unconditional approval of leaves of absence.

On the 22nd of this month, the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Association of Medical Colleges and Medical Schools (KAMC) set the approval of medical students' leaves of absence as a precondition for participating in the ruling and opposition parties' government-medical negotiations. The day before, presidents of national flagship universities also requested the Ministry of Education to allow autonomous approval of leaves of absence submitted by medical students for personal reasons according to each university's circumstances.