Will Tuition Refunds Begin...? Ministry of Education "We Will Consider Support Measures for Universities"

Refund, Not Directly Handled by Ministry of Education
"It Means Preparing Support Measures for Universities"

If Financial Support Is Secured
Possibility of Partial Refund of University Tuition Increases

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As demands for tuition refunds triggered by the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) intensify, the Ministry of Education has announced that it will consider specific measures to support universities.

At a briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the 16th, Park Baek-beom, Vice Minister of Education, said, "I heard that the Prime Minister's Office and our ministry have had related discussions," adding, "It is not yet at a stage where we can present any concrete plans, but we will inform you separately once discussions progress."

Vice Minister Park also explained, "Tuition refunds are carried out by universities in the form of refunds or scholarship payments, not directly by the Ministry of Education," and added, "The government means that it can prepare various support measures for universities."

The Ministry of Education has maintained the position that tuition refund issues are matters decided individually by universities and that the ministry should not intervene. However, on the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun ordered the government to prepare active measures, leading to the decision to review specific response plans. If financial support for each university is arranged and delivered, it is expected that universities will be able to use it to implement policies that partially refund tuition fees.

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