Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and Gwangju University Raise Tuition Fees
Reserve Funds of Seven Private Universities in Gwangju Reach 292 Billion KRW
"Only One Review Committee Meeting Held, No Student Perspectives Reflected"
Citizens' Group for a Society Without Academic Credentials.
The Citizens' Coalition for an Academic Credential-Free Society has urged universities to halt tuition hikes, stating, "Universities that raised tuition due to worsening financial conditions have in fact seen an increase in their reserve funds."
According to an analysis of the tuition deliberation results published on the University Information Portal on the 27th, Nambu University, Chonnam National University, Chosun University, Honam University, and Honam Theological University froze undergraduate tuition, while Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (5.49%) raised tuition in line with the legal cap on the rate of increase.
Tuition was raised in the following order: Gwangju University (5.04%), Gwangju Women's University (4.99%), Gwangju National University of Education (4.98%), Songwon University (4.6%), and Kwangshin University (3.26%).
For graduate schools, Kwangshin University (2.24%), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (5.49%), Gwangju National University of Education (4.98%), Gwangju University (5.04%), and Chonnam National University (5%) all raised their graduate tuition fees.
Regarding this, the Citizens' Coalition for an Academic Credential-Free Society pointed out, "Universities are justifying tuition hikes by saying they have not exceeded the legal cap, but the grounds for increasing tuition have not been sufficiently reviewed. In particular, except for Gwangju University (which held three meetings), most universities held only one tuition review committee meeting before raising tuition. The process was merely a formality, with students' opinions not reflected."
The group also criticized the fact that, although most universities raised tuition citing worsening financial conditions, their reserve funds actually increased.
The reserve funds of seven private universities in the Gwangju area increased by more than 23.1 billion KRW compared to last year, reaching a total of 292 billion KRW. Gwangju University and Gwangju Women's University, both of which raised tuition, also saw their reserve funds increase by 190 million KRW and 300 million KRW, respectively.
The civic group stated, "In the case of Honam University, which froze tuition, the reserve fund has reached 181.8 billion KRW. It is even a situation where a tuition reduction should be considered. According to the Private School Act, university corporations may operate reserve funds for improving educational environments, reducing tuition, and guaranteeing research activities. However, perhaps because reserve funds are seen as a means of accumulation, students and staff rarely benefit from them."
The group added, "The Ministry of Education recently recommended that universities with high reserve fund ratios maintain tuition at the previous year's level and invest reserve funds in educational expenses if there are no mid- to long-term usage plans. Tuition hikes should be immediately suspended, and the opinions of students should be thoroughly considered to ensure the tuition review committees are operated transparently and substantially."
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