Finally, an Answer to Rising Matriculation Costs?

 

By Rigoberto Banta Jr., Head Student Editor

 

 

President Park had recently announced the reforms on education that her government will be tackling in her term as the chief executive of the country. As part of these efforts, she pledged that college students from low-income families will receive substantial state subsidies starting next year. Halving the matriculation costs for higher education was one of the pledges of President Park in the elections last year. Once implemented, this can ease the financial burden of college students.

Soaring tertiary education costs is just one of the issues that the new administration will try to answer. It plans to overhaul the exclusivity of the national college entrance exams to nurture creative talents through education. All aimed to galvanize the slumping national economy, creating new ways to develop creative talents will widen the Korean market and increase employment opportunities for graduates. With the help of the government, regional universities will be able to open full scholarships focusing on the designated specialties of that university. Will this three-tier higher education plan of the Park administration be successful in regaining the past glory of our university? Will this finally aid the waning development that different regions outside of the capital have been looking forward to?

Yes and no. With this, more students will be able to afford college. Investment in human capital will enable the society to advance in its goal to seek better ways to increase welfare. Aiding regional universities such as ours to focus on centers of excellence will aid regional development if it matches the regional economy as well. The ‘creative revolution’ will be the best complement for the industrial economy that the Korean society has.

However, while education is one of the areas to be fixed to answer the social imbalance, a society where the graduates will lead and where the students will be immersed into education will be hard to change. The efforts to develop such a ‘creative youth’ will be engulfed by the biases and inequalities of the society. This is the blind spot that, more often than not, is left unanswered, as people on the top of social ladder are hesitant towards real change.

High matriculation costs are one problem and social inequality is another. These two should be tackled consequently if the administration would like to increase the welfare of the people on the long-term basis. In vigilance, let this be a real opportunity for the future.

저작권자 © Chonnam Tribune 무단전재 및 재배포 금지