Where did it go wrong? Relations between the university and students that I have seen since I was a freshman have always been bad; students asking for cuts to tuition fees and the university asserting that it is impossible; students oppose awarding an honorary Ph.D. to a undeserving person yet the university persists in doing so. They do not respect or trust each other. The university thinks of the students as mere objects that need control rather than the subjects of the university. Students perceive the university as an enemy that may deceive or harm them. On that level of relationship the conflict is inevitable. In a recent example, the division of School of Biological Sciences and Technology (SBST): Chonnam National University (CNU) forced its way through under the merger and abolition (M&A) plan on similar overlapping majors or departments.
Last August, the conclusion of the SBST matter was for it to be separated into two colleges, Engineering and Natural Science, as CNU wanted. However, eight years ago, CNU had wanted the consilience of several studies including natural science and engineering. In just eight years, CNU has changed its position again. Although students, professors and even students’ parents strongly demanded the withdrawal of the plan for about six months CNU did not change its mind. The reasons for it, as CNU argued, were low employment and entrance rate. As other reasons, the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and effectiveness for administration were also cited. Not to mention the matter of CNU’s reckless education plan, is the low employment rate a good enough reason? How about other reasons? I cannot find any serious concern about education in them. In other words, its focus is more on its convenience or benefits rather than “students” or “education”. Is not the university for education of high quality?
The owners of CNU are not students and the administration of CNU is not student-centered. I do not want to make an assumption that CNU keep an education philosophy for students. Because it is not the supposition but the self-evident truth and CNU does not show any signs of change although some people have asked the same thing. How about designing an institutional strategy so that students act as the owners of CNU and the subject of education? For instance if students obtain the right to be able to vote for the CNU president, the candidates would try to gain the students’ hearts, the pledges would be student-centered and finally students would no longer be simply objects, instead they would make and form what CNU is and would be the real subjects. I think it would be more practical than just waiting for CNU to change.
 
By Lee Han-na, Guest Reporter
#312 Student Column

 

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