Medical School Deans' Council: "Student Return Is Top Priority... Government Must Prepare Measures to Prevent Academic Probation"

"Demand for 'Measures to Facilitate Resident Doctors' Return' Also Proposed"

The Council of University Presidents Operating Medical Schools has submitted a proposal to the government demanding alternative measures such as the return of students to classes and the return of residents.

The Council for the Advancement of Medical Schools (Medical Council) drafted the "Proposal to the Government for the Normalization of Medical School Academic Operations and the Advancement of Medical Education" on the 12th and delivered it to the Ministry of Education via official letter. The Medical Council was formed on the 4th by university presidents operating medical schools with the intention of finding a way out of the prolonged medical student class boycott. Currently, 37 out of 40 medical schools are participating.

On the 22nd, medical staff were moving at a large hospital in Seoul where some former residents who had left the hospital along with residents in protest of the increase in medical school admissions returned. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Medical Council urged the government, saying, "If there are any systems or policies that hinder the return of medical students to classes, the normalization and advancement of medical education, the government should actively reflect the proposals and suggestions of the Medical Council and prepare improvement measures." Rather than mentioning specific details such as 'approval of leave of absence,' the Medical Council's position is that the return of students to classes should be prioritized and efforts should be made accordingly. Hong Won-hwa, president of the Medical Council and president of Kyungpook National University, emphasized to the press, "Leave of absence, repeating a year, and the academic year system are very secondary matters," adding, "We want to improve the requirements so that students can complete the curriculum smoothly even if they return late."

Furthermore, the Medical Council believes that residents must return for medical students to come back as well, and thus demands the government prepare measures for the return of residents and also implement measures to prevent disadvantages related to taking the medical licensing examination. The proposal states, "Recognizing that the return of residents has a significant influence on the return of students and considering the urgency of normalizing medical education, the government should prepare measures for the return of residents."

It also demands, "Universities should be supported and take the lead in preparing flexible academic operation plans that are not bound by the existing academic operation framework, allowing for make-up classes to compensate for missed lessons and prevent the occurrence of repeating a year." President Hong elaborated, "We want to create measures so that when students return, there are no problems caused by classes, such as changing laws or standards to create a summer semester or making the new academic year into three semesters next year."

He further urged the government to "prepare measures to prevent disadvantages related to taking the medical licensing examination and promise stable administrative and financial support to all medical schools, public and private alike, so that they can provide world-class medical education."

To the students, the Medical Council said, "As educators, we earnestly request the students’ return with a more desperate heart than ever before," and "We sincerely ask the students to once again think about the precious intentions they had when they first entered medical school." Currently, medical student organizations are not responding to the Ministry of Education’s requests for dialogue.

The Medical Council stated, "We will encourage and support each university to prepare and apply emergency academic operation plans to minimize student disadvantages such as repeating a year," and "As the official channel of universities with medical schools, we will collect opinions from each university, encourage participation and cooperation for the implementation of joint tasks, and actively communicate with the government."

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