"The deadline to come back in November"...Paid Tuition Litigation Possible

[Anchor]
The Ministry of Education has announced a policy to approve conditional leave of absence, but medical students are still protesting and have not returned.

Universities believe that academic management is possible only when they return by the end of November at the latest, but if students are paid in large numbers, it may even lead to lawsuits for returning tuition fees.

I'm reporter Yeom Hye-won.

[Reporter]
Although the Ministry of Education has cast its last card of approving conditional leave of absence, medical students are still protesting.

Students and parents gathered at the National University Medical School and hospitals to approve the leave of absence without conditions.

"Acknowledge Leave of absence! Approve it! Approve it! Approve it!"

Universities have fallen into a situation where they can't or can't just not approve a leave of absence.

The Ministry of Education says never to approve a leave of absence until it is confirmed that it is not an alliance leave of absence, but
This is because if you drag on more time due to the
academic schedule, you will not be able to meet the criteria for meeting the first semester class, which has been increased as much as possible.

Seoul National University, which has already approved the leave of absence, explained that it was the same concern.

[Yoo Hong-rim / President of Seoul National University (last 15th): It has been discussed before that there are difficulties in the management of the university, and according to the flexible university management guide, the end of the first semester has been changed to the end of October.]

Other national universities, which have more flexible academic management than Seoul National University, also see the end of next month as the real Maginot Line.

From this point on, we have no choice but to act on whether to approve a leave of absence or pay or discharge.

If you don't come back, you'll go through the paid procedure, and you'll lose the tuition for the first semester you've already paid.

Currently, tuition fees paid to the National University alone are 14.8 billion won.

Students can file a class action to return their tuition fees, claiming that the school has not unfairly dealt with the leave of absence that they have already paid.

I'm Yum Hyewon of YTN.

Photographer
: Won Si-sik
Edit Video: Electronic