Seoul National University Medical School approves alliance leave of absence... "abandoned responsibility to educate."

Seoul National University Medical School approves leave of absence...Ministry of Education's "Oversing Education Responsibilities"
Authorization to grant leave of absence to the dean of medical school..."A firm decision"
Ministry of Education expresses strong regret over approval of medical school alliance leave of absence
"Efforts to normalize academic history..."Strictly reprimand through gratitude"

[Anchor]
Seoul National University has approved a leave of absence for the first time for medical students who have submitted a collective leave of absence to protest the government's policy to increase medical schools.

The Ministry of Education is wary of continuing approval of leave of absence to other universities, saying that the dean of the medical school arbitrarily approved the leave of absence in violation of the "allied leave of absence" policy.

I'm reporter Kim Hyun-ah.

[Reporter]
Seoul National University School of Medicine has approved the leave of absence submitted by students in protest against the increase in medical schools.

It's the first of 40 universities with medical schools.

The dean of the medical school approved the first semester leave of absence applied to the school system, but there was no prior consultation with the university headquarters or professors.

In the case of Seoul National University, the dean has the authority to approve the leave of absence, so it is possible to make an arbitrary decision.

The dean is known to have persuaded students to return until recently, emphasizing 'doctor responsibility'.

However, it has been reported that he recently felt burdened by the public opinion of medical school, such as "I don't think students will return" and "Even if they return, there is no possibility of teaching for a year for four months."

Immediately, the Ministry of Education expressed strong regret.

This is because it has emphasized that taking a leave of absence from alliance, a collective action of medical students against the increase in medical schools, is not a legitimate reason.

[Lee Ju-ho / Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education (last June): There should be no university approval for the application for a collective leave of absence from the alliance that students have conducted against government policies.]

The Ministry of Education strongly criticized the unilateral approval of the leave of absence despite continuous requests for cooperation as an act of abandoning the responsibility of educating students as medical professionals.

It is also an attempt to neutralize the government and universities' continued efforts to normalize medical schools, and said it would conduct an immediate audit and sternly reprimand the problem if it was confirmed.

Like Seoul National University, some universities grant the dean the right to approve leave of absence.

The Ministry of Education has repeatedly asked universities to cooperate with other medical schools not to approve the leave of absence for medical students, conscious of the possibility of other medical schools' agitation.

I'm Kim Hyunah of YTN.

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