Ministry of Education "High-intensity audit of Seoul National University Medical School"...Tactile of the spread of approval for leave of absence

[Anchor]
When Seoul National University Medical School approved medical students' applications for leave of absence for the first time, the Ministry of Education sent about 10 auditors to Seoul National University just now to begin an intensive on-site audit.

Other universities are also having internal discussions on the approval of leave of absence, and the government is raising the pressure, saying it expects the spread of leave of absence approval to not occur.

I'll connect you to a reporter for more information. Reporter Baek Jong Kyu!

The Ministry of Education will send 12 people to Seoul National University today to conduct an intensive field audit, right?

[Reporter]
Yes, medical students have taken a leave of absence and are not taking classes after the government announced its policy to expand the number of medical schools in February this year.

The government has adhered to the principle of not approving "alliance leave" in the form of collective action, saying it is not a legitimate reason for taking a leave of absence.

However, on the 30th of last month, Seoul National University Medical School rebelled against the government's "no approval of leave of absence" policy for the first time and approved the application of 700 medical students for a semester off.

Seoul National University's school regulations state that the final decision to approve medical students' leave of absence is the dean of the medical school,
The head of
approved his application for a leave of absence without discussing it with the university headquarters.

In response, the government immediately expressed regret and announced the promotion of an on-site audit.

The Ministry of Education just sent 12 auditors to the Gwanak Campus of Seoul National University to begin an on-site audit.

At the same time, he announced a strict response policy to conduct the strongest audit as much as possible.

The audit will focus on whether the approval of medical student leave of absence was legally handled in accordance with school regulations and procedures.

The ministry also raised the pressure on other universities, saying it expects the same thing not to happen.

In response to the move, professors at Seoul National University, medical school, and Seoul National University Hospital protested what rights the Ministry of Education was trying to infringe on the autonomy of universities and demanded the withdrawal of the audit.

Although the school has the authority to approve leave of absence, the Ministry of Education can supervise each university's leave of absence approval measures under the Higher Education Act.

If any academic violations are found, administrative measures such as corrective orders, reduction of capacity, and suspension of student recruitment are possible, so schools have not been able to approve the leave of absence because they have been wary of the Ministry of Education.

However, as Seoul National University Medical School accepts applications for leave of absence, there is a prospect that approval for leave of absence will spread to other universities.

First of all, about half of the 40 medical schools have the right to approve leave of absence by the dean of the medical school, not the president,
Medical school professors say that even if the president of
approves the leave of absence, there is no problem with the procedure.

Professors' consistent opinion was that the emergency committee of medical professors nationwide should approve the leave of absence from school during a call with YTN,

However, it was a matter of who would take the lead first, he said, explaining that internal discussions are taking place at each school as the first case of approval for a leave of absence came out.

Just a while ago, a closed joint meeting of medical professors, medical school professors, and deans was held at the Korean Medical Association.

There were also discussions about the approval of a leave of absence from school.

The medical association first reiterated that discussions without agenda restrictions, including the number of medical schools in 2025, are prioritized in relation to the "medical manpower supply and demand estimation organization."

At the same time, the medical association said it would not recommend members of the estimation committee.

In addition, regarding the approval of a leave of absence from Seoul National University Medical School, he expressed his active support for a just and just decision.
The Ministry of Education urged Seoul National University Medical School to immediately cancel the notice of threatening measures such as on-site inspections and strict censure, hoping that the right decision would spread to medical schools nationwide.

I'm BAE JONG KYU from the Ministry of Social Affairs.