Ministry of Education and KHPMA Express "Deep Regret" Over Concerns About Medical School Expansion, Pledge to Ensure Quality of Education

Emergency Briefing Held to Refute Criticism from Uijeongwon
Plan to Release 'Advanced Medical Education Measures' in September This Year
"1000 Full-Time Faculty to Be Added at National Universities Over the Next 3 Years"

The Ministry of Education expressed regret over the concerns raised by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE) that the quality of education would decline due to the increase in medical school quotas, stating that it is "concretizing financial support measures."

On the afternoon of the 4th, Deputy Minister Oh Seok-hwan held an emergency briefing at the Government Complex Sejong and said, "While the government is making every effort to support medical education, KIMEE, a non-profit private organization designated by the government as the medical education accreditation body, should perform its duties from a neutral position," adding, "We express deep concern and regret over the baseless assumptions about the decline in education quality and the continuous creation of anxiety through media interviews."

Will Medical Licensing Eligibility Be Revoked if KIMEE Issues a 'Non-Accreditation' Evaluation?

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All medical schools nationwide must receive accreditation evaluations from KIMEE on their curricula and educational environments every 2, 4, or 6 years. Medical schools that receive a 'non-accreditation' evaluation may face suspension of new student admissions, and students admitted after the results are made public may have their eligibility to take the national medical licensing examination restricted.

Regarding this, Deputy Minister Oh explained that "since investment strategies are being established according to the characteristics of national and private institutions, a system will naturally be put in place to prevent non-accreditation," and that today's briefing was held to dispel concerns.

The Ministry of Education refuted KIMEE's claim of a "decline in education quality," stating, "This is completely untrue," and added, "The government is thoroughly preparing for education after the quota increase by carefully examining the conditions of educational infrastructure such as faculty personnel, educational facilities, and training hospitals together with each medical school."

Ministry of Education: "National Universities to Hire Additional Professors Starting September"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Minister Oh stated, "The government will increase the number of full-time faculty members at national universities with increased quotas by up to 1,000 over the next three years," and "the number of faculty members will be allocated to each university in September this year, and each university will immediately proceed with the hiring process."

He also explained that task forces (TFs) are being formed at each national university to discuss improvements in medical education conditions. The space needed for educating the increased number of students starting next year will be secured through remodeling and restructuring of existing medical school facilities, and construction projects requiring expansion or new buildings will proceed through exemptions from preliminary feasibility studies.

For university hospitals, they promised to expand educational and training spaces such as seminar rooms, multipurpose conference rooms, and rest facilities. Furthermore, they pledged to establish clinical education training centers at all national university hospitals and Seoul National University Hospital by 2028.

Deputy Minister Oh said, "The budget to support improvements in medical education conditions is currently being closely discussed with financial authorities and will be announced along with advanced medical education plans in September."

Regarding the specific preparation stages, he explained, "We have received investment plans from universities through three stages to understand the actual demand, and based on these plans, we are conducting on-site inspections to grasp the real demand. At the same time, we are securing the necessary funding."

For private universities, he explained that support measures are being established according to their own investment plans. Deputy Minister Oh said, "We are promoting a method where universities prepare investment plans based on bond issuance supported by the Private School Promotion Foundation, and we provide support accordingly," adding, "Additional support measures are being reviewed."

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