University autonomy,
financial stability, and
development of regional universities

As newly appointed chairman, I am greatly honored to be entrusted to lead Korean Council for University Education (KCUE), an organization responsible for the development of higher education in Korea. And to be honest, I feel a grave sense of responsibility in difficult situations.

As you are well aware, higher education in Korea is faced with huge challenges. The tuition freeze that has been in place for the past 15 years has inflicted financial stress on many universities, most of which depend on student tuition for their revenue. However, it should be remembered that universities cannot provide quality education without financial stability.

Encouragingly, the Ministry of Education recently promised that it would deregulate higher education according to global standards, which I believe is a welcome move. While many universities have been heavily regulated by the government’s one-size-fits-all assessment policy, deregulation is expected to provide a leeway to leverage their unique characteristics to realize their full potential.

To do this, we first need to help financially troubled universities. We need to assist universities in restoring the financial stability adversely affected by the nationalistic education policy of the previous governments. At the same time, we need to find a radical solution to the demise of regional universities as well as local communities, triggered by the government’s population policy failures.

In this respect, I plan to focus on the following areas during my term as chairman of KCUE.

First, KCUE will continue to work hard to increase public spending on higher education to at least match OECD levels. Last year, the government established a KRW 9.7 trillion special account for higher education. Although the temporary account is slated to last only three years, it is encouraging to see the government budget for higher education and lifelong learning increase by KRW 1.72 trillion. Yet, this budget alone is far from enough to ensure financially troubled universities land on their feet. KCUE will do its best to ensure the special account becomes a part of the Higher Education Grant Act.

Second, KCUE will focus on ensuring university autonomyCreative mindsets, research, and education are only possible in an autonomous academic environment. While certain regulations were inevitable in the initial stages of the education, now is the time to transition to an advanced system for further development of Korea’s higher education institutions. By doing so, we will be able to nurture future generation of students as leaders in the era of artificial intelligence and create a “one and only university” model. Most of all, KCUE will be committed to introducing advanced practices to Korea’s higher education ecosystem.

Third, KCUE will raise awareness of the importance of regional universities, small universities in particular, and propose bold measures to the government to help support them.Small regional universities are the last defense against local community extinction and encourage younger generations to stay in local communities. We need a society that recognizes the importance of regional universities and instills pride in their graduates in order to keep local economies strong. We hope regional universities can become more competitive to play a leading role in the country’s education.

Persuading the government to keep focusing on higher education as a policy priority is not an easy task. Nonetheless, we must make it happen. If our member universities come together, I believe we can achieve our objectives more effectively. In this regard, KCUE will promote active communication among our member universities, and I ask for your support and interest throughout the process.

Thank you

April 8, 2023
Chairman of the Korean Council for University Education
Chairman Jekuk Chang