Government mulls over allowing unis to approve medical students' leave

A coalition of faculty, student, and parent protesters from Kyungpook National University and Kangwon National University ask members of the National Assembly's education committee to help them with approval of a leave of absence for medical students in front of Kyungpook National University on Oct. 17. (Yonhap)

In response to increasing demands from national medical schools, the government is reportedly reconsidering its stance on granting universities the autonomy to approve medical students' leave of absence requests.

This comes as a potential solution to the monthslong standoff over medical school enrollments following protests against the government's plan to expand the medical school quota.

Sources within the education sector revealed Tuesday that the presidents of national universities in major cities have urged the Ministry of Education to grant universities the authority to approve leaves of absence submitted by medical students for personal reasons. The request aims to ease the disruption caused by the mass withdrawals and facilitate the students' return in 2025.

“If the current disruption in medical school enrollment and education continues, it could jeopardize the training of medical personnel who will be responsible for the nation’s healthcare in the future. This situation will also severely impact the students themselves,” the university presidents said in a joint statement.

The protest began in February when medical students staged a collective leave of absence in opposition to the government’s plan to increase the medical school quota. Despite repeated attempts by the government to address the issue, many students have yet to return to their programs.

In an effort to resolve the issue, the government unveiled an emergency plan earlier this month that would allow medical students to take leaves of absence conditionally, provided they return by next year. Students who fail to return by the deadline could face penalties, including potential expulsion.

However, the Ministry of Education stressed that taking semesters off in collective protest does not meet the criteria for legitimate grounds for leave and emphasized the importance of "guaranteeing students the opportunity to return through individual consultation."

Last week, organizations representing the medical community, including the Korean Medical Association, reiterated their positions, calling for leaves of absence to be approved as a prerequisite for participation in the ruling and opposition parties' consultative committee.

Despite this, the government seems to have been forced to consider a change in attitude after the presidents of local national universities continued to urge the government to leave the leave of absence to the discretion of the universities.

This shift comes after Seoul National University’s decision last month to approve leave of absence requests submitted by 780 medical students, amounting to 96 percent of the department’s total enrollment. The move has emboldened other universities to follow suit, potentially leading to wider disruptions across the nation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho recently signaled a potential softening of the government’s stance. "Now that we have the opportunity to communicate, we will do so with an open mind," Lee said during a National Assembly audit last week, referencing ongoing discussions about granting students leave.

"We are in contact with individual universities, and we are talking with the groups that are participating in the ruling and opposition parties’ consultative committee with an open mind,” he added.

The government’s recent openness to dialogue appears to be partly driven by the need to maintain cooperation with medical associations, which have expressed frustration with what they describe as the government’s "unilateral" approach to policy decisions. Medical groups have consistently demanded that the government apologize for pushing reforms without consulting the medical community.

As the conversation between the government and universities progresses, many are hopeful that a resolution will be reached before the situation escalates further , ensuring the stability of the nation’s medical education system.

By Choi Jeong-yoon(jychoi@heraldcorp.com)