South Korea: Medical students return to class after 1 year of collective leave

Medical professors protest against the government's plan to increase enrollment quotas at Korea University in Seoul on March 25, 2024. (Photo: Yonhap/VNA)

Most students at major medical schools have decided to return to class, as March 31 is the deadline set by the government for medical students nationwide to return to school after a year of collective leave.

The deadline was set by the government earlier this month when it announced a conditional decision to keep the 2026 medical school enrollment quota unchanged at 3,058, the same number as before it planned to increase it by 2,000 a year ago to address a severe shortage of doctors in South Korea.

The government stressed that keeping the enrollment quota unchanged depended on the return of students who had dropped out of school in protest at the plan to increase the quota.

Initially, students were indifferent to the proposal, but gradually changed their minds thanks to persuasion from teachers and harsh measures from medical schools, such as threats of expulsion.

Excluding Kangwon National University and Jeonbuk National University, which extended their deadlines to early or mid-April, 38 medical schools nationwide are scheduled to close course applications on March 31.

Medical students at top universities such as Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, and many others have decided to return to school en masse.

The Education Ministry said it will collect data on the number of returning students before making a final decision on next year’s enrollment quota. Ministry and school officials predict that at the current return rate, enrollment will remain at 3,058 next year.

However, if students continue to drop out of school, the quota may be adjusted to 5,058 places./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/han-quoc-sinh-vien-y-khoa-quay-lai-giang-duong-sau-1-nam-nghi-hoc-tap-the-post1023775.vnp