"Tuition Refund Please" University Campuses Boil Over Low-Quality Online Lectures

University Areas Face Online Classes Due to COVID-19 Impact... "Low Quality" Causes Uproar
Students Hold Press Conference in Front of Cheongwadae "Return Tuition Fees"
Ministry of Education Says Tuition Refund Decision Should Be Made by Universities

Amid the impact of the novel coronavirus infection, universities are moving to online lectures, and requests for tuition refunds are continuing due to the decline in lecture quality. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] # A college student in their 20s, Mr. A, is very dissatisfied with the shift to online lectures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most online videos keep cutting out, making it difficult to concentrate on classes. Mr. A angrily demanded a tuition refund. He said, "The problem is the expensive tuition. I understand the situation because of COVID-19, but if the online lecture quality is this low, a refund is justified," adding, "At the very least, the tuition for the online lecture period should be excluded."

Due to the impact of COVID-19, universities that postponed the semester are replacing most classes this month with online lectures. The problem lies in the quality of the lectures. Some university professors have never conducted online lectures before, and the lecture content is not being effectively delivered to students. Among students, voices are growing that some portion of tuition should be refunded since normal classes are difficult to conduct.

Mr. B, a mid-20s college student, said, "The quality of online classes is not that good," and expressed frustration, saying, "The class preparation is poor. It is an infringement on the right to learn." He added, "Most of my friends strongly agree with this," and lamented, "We are waiting for the school’s prompt decision."

Another student, Mr. C, also said, "(In our school’s case) online lectures are expected to continue for about a month," emphasizing, "In this situation, tuition refunds or partial returns should be provided."

On the 11th, the National University Student Council Network held a press conference in front of the Blue House fountain in Seoul, urging a partial refund of tuition fees related to online university lectures due to the impact of the novel coronavirus. Photo by National University Student Council Network

◆ College Students Demand "Return Tuition Fees" in Front of the Blue House

Some students held a press conference in front of the Blue House demanding tuition refunds. The National University Student Council Network (Jeondaenet), composed of 27 university organizations including the Seoul National University Student Council and College Student Council Presidents’ Joint Meeting, held a press conference on the 11th in front of the Blue House fountain in Seoul, stating, "Most classes are uncertain whether lectures will be uploaded," and pointed out, "There are no clear measures for practical, experimental, and hands-on classes where communication with instructors is crucial, nor for the course registration adjustment period, leaving the guarantee of class rights in limbo."

Jeondaenet presented three demands to the government and university authorities. Students requested ▲ universities and the Ministry of Education to make every effort to ensure the quality of classes ▲ share the expenses spent on countermeasures from tuition fees and return any unused balance as tuition for the second semester ▲ secure communication channels between students and schools, and between students and the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile, according to Jeondaenet, an online survey conducted from the 27th of last month to the 6th of this month targeting about 1,480 students from 58 universities nationwide showed that 65.5% of students reported being harmed by academic schedule adjustments. In particular, 84.3% supported tuition refunds, and 93% called for securing communication channels between students and schools.

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board

A petition for tuition refunds was also posted on the Blue House’s public petition board. The petition titled "Request for Tuition Reduction Due to University Semester Postponement," posted on the 2nd, had 76,170 supporters as of 2 p.m. on the 15th.

The petitioner argued, "Online lectures inevitably have lower quality than regular offline lectures," and stated, "Since the quality of lectures is reduced, students need partial compensation through tuition reductions."

Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye is responding to questions related to the supplementary budget proposal at the National Assembly Education Committee plenary session on the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Ministry of Education: "Tuition Refunds Are Decisions for University Presidents"

However, tuition refunds seem unlikely. According to Article 3 of the University Tuition Rules, if a school suspends classes for the entire semester or the entire month, tuition must be waived. This means a full month of suspension is required, and since online lectures are considered as having started the semester, tuition refunds are difficult.

Additionally, the number of university class days is set to be at least 30 weeks per academic year, but in cases of natural disasters or unavoidable academic management reasons, it can be reduced by up to two weeks.

The Ministry of Education previously recommended postponing the semester by up to four weeks and later encouraged remote classes such as online lectures. Therefore, even if the semester is postponed or class days are reduced, it does not qualify as a reason for tuition refunds.

The Ministry stated that decisions regarding tuition refunds should be made by universities. At the National Assembly Education Committee plenary session on the 10th, Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye responded to a question from Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party regarding demands for tuition refunds by saying, "It is a matter for university presidents to decide, so we are taking a very cautious stance. It is difficult for us to comment."

Regarding questions about support for managing remote classes, including concerns raised by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hae-young about servers struggling to handle many students logging in simultaneously, the minister said, "Budget support is absolutely necessary. I hope the standing committee will provide support," adding, "Korea National Open University has announced it will provide online lecture content. Since this is a time when network and server improvements are needed, necessary budgets should be reflected."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.