Government blacklist of Korean universities

The news was apparently on Monday: now the English news is full of it.

I first learned of the blacklist from Asiaone:

The naming and shaming of 43 poorly managed universities by the Education Ministry on Monday has spawned confusion and concern among universities, with some decrying the label or expressing worries about next year’s freshmen recruitment.

But a closer look and deliberate search finds the news everywhere.

Yonhap:

 Officials have said that an equal provision of funds to all schools would be a waste of taxpayer money and could end up as a lifeline for uncompetitive colleges. President Lee Myung-bak has also called for college restructuring as a condition for providing government money to universities.

   In South Korea, 80 percent of higher education institutions are operated by private foundations that rely heavily on tuition for revenue.

 

And also:

The ministry said it has chosen the universities in consultation with advisory bodies based on the results of a university evaluation that used criteria, such as the employment rate of graduates, the yearly enrollment rate and the number of full-time instructors. 

The Herald has copied the same press release as Yonhap.

The news has reached Malaysia, where Bermana reports:

The education ministry has selected 43 private universities that will have their subsidies partly cut or denied next year as part of a government drive to weed out poorly managed schools.

I find this big news especially as I just finished writing a big article saying that blacklists couldn’t happen here.  I don’t exactly have egg on my face, but perhaps on my freshly washed jacket.

My old university is on the list, which I cannot find in full anywhere – Asiaone names a handful of the schools in question.  I hope that my friends are okay, or will be okay during the next semester.  Time to dust off those resumes!


Editor Note:  Thanks to the cyber-sleuths who helped find 'The List'. 

 

 


Comments

Re: Government blacklist of Korean universities

I'm pretty sure the same list was released last year and the usual culprits are included in the list - small, religously orientated universities, and some other regional unis. It's not surprising the list is so large considering there are so many universities in the country, many of which you'll never here outside of lists like this.

Re: Government blacklist of Korean universities

I'm pretty sure that ' Far East University' is Tongmyoeng University translated. It's a pretty garbage University in Busan that has/had over 30 General English teachers to get money from the government, and has been under the government scope for a long time. I worked there a while back and can say first hand that that "University" definitely is unorganised and has a lot of sketchy things going on.

Re: Government blacklist of Korean universities

The Korea Herald has an update, as of Sept 23.  Here are the first two paragraphs:

"The Education Ministry on Friday selected five public universities that will undergo a restructuring process in a bid to reform public universities and raise their competitiveness in the long term. 


The schools ― Kangwon and Gangneung-Wonju National University in Gangwon Province, Chungbuk National University in Chungcheong Province, Kunsan National University in North Jeolla Province and Busan National University of Education ― were blacklisted after a poor showing in an inquiry into their performance. The review looked at the universities’ employment rate, student enrollment, student service and scholarships and tuition fees."

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110923000862