Med students' requests for academic leave likely to be approved by this month

A medical school in Seoul (Yonhap)

The academic leave requested by protesting medical students who left classrooms since February to oppose the Korean government's drastic quota hike in medical school admissions will likely be finalized by this month, while some schools are cautious in granting the approval, according to education authorities Friday.

The move comes after the Education Ministry on Tuesday decided to allow medical schools the freedom to grant the leave to encourage medical students' return and normalize disruptions, backtracking from its earlier decision that the academic leave should be approved under the condition that they return to school the following year.

Seoul National University became the first institution on Sept. 30 to approve striking students' leave for the first semester to help students avoid failing the academic semester en masse as medical students boycotting classes showed little signs of return.

Amid souring relations between the medical circle and the government over medical reforms, including the expansion plan, the decision led to the ministry's on-site inspection of the college for defying the government's order, as authorities have previously warned that collective action is not a valid reason for school leave.

After the government allowed colleges more flexibility this week, Inje University approved the requests late Thursday and updated students' leave statuses in the university's portal system. Yonsei University, Korea University and Yonsei University Mirae Campus in Wonju, Gangwon Province, have also approved students' leave of absence requests.

Gachon University, Pusan National University and Catholic Kwandong University also plan to accept the requests by next month, according to education authorities.

"(The school) plans to meet with the medical school deans to discuss granting the leave for students," Kim Yong-seung, the President of CKU, said in an interview with SBS on Wednesday.

Sungkyungkwan University and the University of Ulsan are consulting with each student to discuss their situation. Other medical schools are reportedly taking a careful approach regarding the approval by reviewing whether the students' reasons for the requests fall under "personal reasons" as specified by the ministry.

As more schools are taking steps to allow the leave, the emergency committee of medical professors on Friday said that the Education Ministry should allow universities to have the autonomy to manage the academic calendar of their medical schools, stressing that the country would face a more serious medical staff shortage if protesting students do not return next year.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)