Full tuition for regional national universities sparks equity debate

South Korea's Ministry of Education announced plans to fully fund tuition for approximately 60,000 new students at regional national universities from the 2027 academic year. This "Regional Balanced Scholarship" aims to prevent talented individuals from leaving their home regions for the capital and to foster balanced national development.

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Selective support targeting only regional national universities has fundamental limitations.

However, the proposal has sparked concerns about fairness and potential negative consequences for other higher education institutions. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union issued a statement on the 6th, welcoming the direction of reduced tuition burdens and free higher education but criticizing the selective support for regional national universities. They argue that this focus could exacerbate student concentration in national universities, weakening the ecosystem of regional higher education, which relies on a complex network of national universities, private institutions, and junior colleges.

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Regional higher education is not maintained by flagship national universities alone.

The union emphasized that regional higher education is not sustained solely by flagship national universities. Instead, it thrives on a diverse ecosystem encompassing national universities, private colleges, junior colleges, graduate schools, and research institutions. They fear that offering free tuition only at national universities will lead to a significant decline in enrollment and financial instability for regional private and junior colleges already struggling with declining student populations.

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If only national universities offer free education, students will flock to them, and regional private universities and junior colleges struggling with declining student populations will face even more severe enrollment drops and financial crises.

As an alternative, the union proposed the establishment of "Global Wide-Area University Alliances" that would link regional national universities, private universities, and junior colleges. This collaborative model would focus on joint education, research, and workforce development. They urged the government to direct its financial investments toward these alliances rather than individual institutions. Furthermore, the union called for the enactment of a "Higher Education Finance Grant Act" to secure a stable financial foundation for free higher education and regional university support, arguing that a policy benefiting only a few universities will create further imbalances.

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National universities' free tuition alone will create another imbalance. We need to build a higher education system where all regional universities grow together, not a policy that saves only a few.