Universities Struggle to Prepare Online Lectures... Ministry of Economy and Finance Says "Need to Assess Tax Support Justification"

Non-Face-to-Face Lectures for Two Weeks from the 16th

Equipment Prepared Including Cameras and Laptops
Hundreds of Millions Won Spent on Expanding Large-Capacity Servers
Ministry of Education Requests 33.9 Billion Won Supplementary Budget

"Significant Preparation Gaps Among Universities"
Ministry of Economy and Finance Points Out Issues with Uniform Payments

Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyunjung and Lee Hyunju] As universities prepare for the start of the semester, they are rushing to purchase various equipment to replace classes with online lectures, expressing financial difficulties. The Ministry of Education is trying to utilize supplementary budget funds, but the Ministry of Strategy and Finance is reluctant, questioning whether tax money should be used to buy equipment for universities.

Most universities are actively preparing to conduct classes online after the semester begins on the 16th to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A private four-year university in Seoul, University A, urgently rented about 1,000 cameras because each instructor and professor needs to be provided with one camera. University B, another private university, spent tens of millions of won purchasing a large-capacity server to upload over 1,000 courses and ensure smooth playback even when many users access simultaneously.

Considering the situation of each university, the Ministry of Education has requested the Ministry of Strategy and Finance to secure 33.933 billion won for the "University Online Lecture Activation Support" budget. This proposal will be finally reviewed at the supplementary budget adjustment subcommittee meeting on the 13th. However, there are signs that the budget approval is uncertain. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance points out that providing a uniform amount without reviewing each university’s infrastructure status is problematic. In fact, it is rare to find cases of tax-based support for private universities. A Ministry of Strategy and Finance official said, "Universities have been preparing online lectures with their own budgets for diversification and innovation, and there is a large disparity in preparation among schools. We need to consider whether preparing online lectures is the responsibility of the state or the universities."

As the situation turns negative, the Ministry of Education plans to review each university again for budget allocation. They also plan to consider whether the "Innovation Support Project Fund" can be used if requests come from universities. A Ministry of Education official said, "We plan to prepare a plan to provide differential support by university."

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