hankyoreh

Students hold a press conference outside the Korean Association of Private University Presidents (KPU) on Apr. 1 calling for their tuition to be refunded due to the decreasing quality of their education amid the COVID-19 epidemic. (Yonhap News)

With elementary, middle and high schools around South Korea set to begin their spring semester online in phases starting Apr. 9, universities that have already been holding classes online have some big decisions to make. As they face increasing pressure to extend the online phase of the semester, more students are calling for their tuition to be refunded because of the decreasing quality of their education.

On Apr. 1, Ewha Womans University announced that its lectures would be held online for the entire duration of the spring semester. While most universities have moved classes online amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ewha is only the second (after the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, or UNIST) to apply the online model to the entire spring semester.

Seoul National University and Hanyang University have updated their plans, declaring that they’ll continue to hold classes remotely until the COVID-19 situation has been stabilized. This means both universities could also end up holding the entire spring semester online. Sungkyunkwan University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) had already made the same decision to hold online classes until further notice.

As part of its policy of intense social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, the South Korean government has been recommending that universities delay the beginning of their semester and hold classes online. Initially, universities had expected they’d be able to begin in-person classes this month, once the COVID-19 outbreak was brought under control and elementary, middle, and high schools began the spring semester. According to a survey carried out by the Korean Association of Private University Presidents (KPU) on Mar. 27, 46.7% of 193 four-year universities were planning to begin in-person classes on Apr. 6 and 44.5% on Apr. 13.

But after the government announced that elementary, middle, and high schools would be beginning their semesters online on a staggered schedule starting Apr. 9, universities have come under more pressure to prolong their online classes. For one thing, this announcement implies that the government plans to maintain its policy of social distancing for the time being. “We’re inquiring with universities once again about their schedule for beginning in-person classes. It’s likely that more universities intend to extend their online classes than in our previous survey,” said a KPU spokesperson.

While Sogang University, Kyung Hee University, and Konkuk University have said they’ll begin in-person classes on Apr. 13, for example, they might delay that timeframe even further. This also complicates the calculations of Korea University, Chung-Ang University, and Yonsei University, which are planning to begin in-person classes in May. They might also leave open the possibility of conducting their entire semester online, following the example of Seoul National University, Ewha Womans University, and Hanyang University. But other schools, such as Handong Global University, in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, have said they’ll start holding in-person classes alongside online classes on Apr. 9.

The longer that classes are held online, the more students are likely to demand that their tuition be refunded. A group of university students organized to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak sent a petition to the KPU on Apr. 1 signed by 550 students around the country asking for admission fees and tuition fees to be refunded. “Students are being harmed in serious ways: some aren’t able to sign in for roll call or even listen to the lecture because of server outages, while students in sports, entertainment, and practical fields aren’t able to take the hands-on courses they need. Since the current enforcement degree of the Higher Education Act states that tuition can be waived or reduced when students are unable to pay tuition because of a natural disaster, the educational authorities and universities need to take measures to ensure students’ right to study, including refunding their tuition,” the group said.

By Choi Won-hyung, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]