On April 3rd in Lotte Hotel’s Emerald Room in Sŏul, KCUE Secretary-General Kim Yŏngshik was invited to give a special address entitled “Why is it Urgent to Strengthen Universities’ Competitiveness?” to the Korea Human Development Institute’s weekly Human Development CEO Forum.

This address by KCUE Secretary-General Kim Yŏngshik, formerly a vice-minister in the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, provided an opportunity to assess the current state of higher education in South Korea and discuss plans to enhance its competitiveness.

The Chairman of the Korea Human Development Institute Chang Man-gi emphasized that the forum consequently holds particular importance as a place to assess higher education in South Korea and consider proposals to raise the competitiveness of centers for talent development, particularly those regarding the critical issue of autonomy in the university entrance system.

In tandem with South Korean President Yi Myŏngbak’s inauguration, this year has been proclaimed “a year of progression.” The expectations of South Korean citizens are high, and thus the important question is how the goals of this “progression” will be achieved.

Most important is attaining a per capita income level of 30,000-40,000 won in a time of information-based economies by fostering creativity in the labor force and increasing national competitiveness. Higher education is central to this, but unfortunately our universities have failed so far to produce an internationally competitive workforce.

According to a study on university competitiveness by Switzerland’s International Institute for Management Development (IMD), South Korea’s universities ranked 52nd out of 60 countries, which is quite low considering the country’s economy is the 10th largest in the world.

It is impossible to enter the ranks of advanced countries without internationally competitive universities.

The new administration has said it will prepare a plan by October for increasing the competitiveness of universities, and with consideration of current demand for higher education, it will include regulatory reductions, opening of education markets, and cooperation between businesses and schools. Liberalization of the university entrance system, a topic on which the administration has been particularly resolute, will especially be watched.

from the Korea Human Development Institute(KHDI)