Korean medical school students quit school en masse to protest increased enrollment quota

Trainee doctors attend an emergency meeting at the Korean Medical Association building on February 20, 2024 - Photo: AFP

According to Yonhap News Agency, many students at 10 medical schools in South Korea did not attend school to protest the government 's decision to increase enrollment quotas for this major, raising concerns that many students would not be qualified to move up to class.

In addition, the South Korean Ministry of Education said the remaining 30 medical schools in the country have postponed the opening of the new semester, amid continuing protests against the government's decision to increase the enrollment quota by 2,000 medical students, in addition to the current quota of 3,058 students to address the shortage of doctors.

According to an official from the Ministry of Education, of the 40 medical schools in the country, 10 have started the new semester but many students have not come to school, while 30 other schools have had to adjust their schedules and have not started the new semester.

If the boycott continues, students may be held back a grade. In most medical schools, students are not eligible to advance to the next grade if they miss one-third to one-quarter of their classes.

South Korean Education Minister Lee Ju Ho has asked the Korean Medical Student Association to attend a meeting on the evening of March 13 to discuss medical school training programs and how to protect students' educational rights.

As of March 10, there were a total of 5,446 cases of medical students leaving school with written reasons, equivalent to about 29% of the total 18,793 medical students enrolled nationwide as of April 2023.

Previously, many university professors in Korea submitted their resignations to protest the increase in medical enrollment quotas in the context that schools cannot meet the training quality. Many professors at Wonkwang University and Yeungnam University also warned of collective action if trainee doctors and students at their schools suffer damages.

Teaching professors say universities have made requests to increase enrollment quotas without taking their opinions into account.

The developments came as more than 90 percent of 13,000 trainee doctors at 97 hospitals across South Korea walked off the job for 20 days to protest the government's plan to increase the enrollment quota for medical schools by 2,000 (from the current 3,058 students) starting in 2025.

Interns account for 30-40% of the total number of doctors at top general hospitals in Korea. They play an important role in assisting regular doctors during surgery and inpatient treatment.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sinh-vien-truong-y-han-quoc-nghi-hoc-hang-loat-de-phan-doi-tang-chi-tieu-tuyen-sinh-20240311225204269.htm