National Assembly Government Questioning...
"Free High School Education Will Be Thoroughly Upheld"
Student Assaults Teacher...
"Active Promotion of Additional School CCTV Installation"
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho requested medical students to participate in classes normally, stating that if a large number of medical students fail and the three cohorts of 2024, 2025, and 2026 all become first-year students next year, "a very difficult situation will arise."
On the 16th, during a government questioning session at the National Assembly, when Seo Ji-young, a member of the People Power Party, asked about measures to address the 'tripling' phenomenon where three cohorts attend classes simultaneously, Lee responded, "If all students return, tripling will not occur, but if they return later, it could become a very difficult situation for education."
He added, "This issue must be resolved through the normalization of medical education according to school regulations," emphasizing, "The medical and educational sectors must work together to ensure that all students can return early."
The government is scheduled to announce its position on the medical school admission quota for the 2026 academic year at 1 p.m. on the 17th at the Government Seoul Office. It is expected to revert to the pre-increase level of 3,058 students, based on the premise that all medical students will return, as previously promised by the government.
Regarding questions about next year's medical school admission quota, Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "This issue is a very important decision in the normalization of medical education," and added, "The important voices are those from the medical field and university campuses, and we will listen to these voices more carefully before making a final decision."
However, he showed a willingness to strictly discipline students who do not attend classes according to school regulations. He stated, "The first step toward normalizing medical education is to comply with school regulations, and we continue to emphasize this to universities."
Deputy Prime Minister Lee also emphasized that free high school education will not be discontinued.
He said, "Free education is a promise to the people, and I will say that we will thoroughly uphold it," adding, "The current issue is whether it is funded by the national treasury or local government funds, but the principle that the state bears the cost is being strictly maintained."
Free high school education supports the tuition fees, admission fees, school operation support fees, and textbook purchase costs that students previously paid. According to the Local Education Finance Grant Act's 'Special Provisions on the Burden of Free Education Expenses for High Schools, etc.,' the central government (47.5%), education offices (47.5%), and local governments (5%) shared the costs. However, this special provision expired on December 31 of last year. Although the National Assembly passed an amendment to extend the special provision for three years on the day of expiration, led by the opposition party, the government exercised its veto power.
Regarding recent incidents of school safety issues, such as a student assaulting a teacher during class at a high school in Seoul, Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "We are continuously working to improve safety issues within schools," and added, "The government is actively promoting the additional installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) to ensure there are no blind spots."
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