On November 11, during the eighth session of the 439th National Assembly's Budget Special Committee, lawmakers and government officials engaged in a heated debate over the proposed additional support of 1 trillion won from the 'Future Response Fund' to address housing issues for university students and the increasing number of immigrant-background students in public education.
The discussion centered on the effectiveness of loan-based dormitory support and the principles of financial assistance for national and private universities.
Rep. Kim Nam-kook of the Democratic Party opened the debate by criticizing the Ministry of Education's plan to allocate 81.57 billion won for the Happy Dormitory project, stating, "Since it is entirely a loan program, the burden of construction costs is directly passed on to students through management and dormitory fees."
He added, "If dormitory fees reach 600,000 to 700,000 won for single rooms, they are comparable to the rent for nearby one-room apartments. We need to shift from simple loans to direct government funding." He strongly urged the committee to allocate 1 trillion won for the 'University Student Housing Welfare Improvement Project,' asserting, "In Seoul, housing costs of 600,000 to 800,000 won are unaffordable for young part-time workers. This is as urgent a livelihood issue as investing in research facilities."
In response, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin stated, "While the Private School Promotion Fund loans have low interest rates to reduce student burdens, we will continue discussions with financial authorities to minimize housing costs for students."
However, financial authorities expressed caution. Vice Minister of Planning and Budget Cho Yong-beom countered, "The principles of financial support for national and private universities must be clearly distinguished." He noted that the budget for three national universities under the Build-Transfer-Lease (BTL) model and four private universities' Happy Dormitories for 2027 has already been fully accounted for. He pointed out that the current obstacles to expanding private university dormitories are not merely financial but also stem from a long-term decline in school-age populations and difficulties in securing land both on and off campus. He cautioned that investing 1 trillion won from the Future Response Fund could lead to merely increasing the resources of the private school fund rather than achieving the essential goal of expanding dormitories.
Rep. Kim countered, "While securing land outside universities may face community opposition and conflict, if universities like Seoul National University and Konkuk University, which have ample unused land, take the initiative, the land issue can be adequately addressed," and demanded additional measures.
The meeting also addressed the need for a national education system to support the growing number of immigrant-background students, which has surged to over 210,000, a 4.5-fold increase. Rep. Kim pointed out, "Although the number of multicultural and immigrant-background students is rising, in Gyeonggi Province, the average number of students per Korean language class is 28.9, nearly three times the Education Ministry's recommended standard of around 10." He further noted that in some densely populated schools, such as those in Ansan, the proportion of immigrant-background students exceeds 60 to 90%, leading to disruptions in basic Korean language instruction as well as subject learning and career guidance. He called for the establishment of separate weighted support criteria for densely populated schools with immigrant-background students in the calculation of local education financial needs.
Minister Choi agreed with these concerns, stating, "We fully recognize this as a responsibility of the Ministry of Education," and promised to classify immigrant-background students as a special support group, enhancing financial and institutional backing through amendments to relevant laws and regulations.
Regarding legislation to prevent youth social media addiction, Rep. Kim suggested that, referencing international legislative examples and constitutional rulings, the approach should focus on protecting students from an educational perspective rather than imposing outright bans. Minister Choi responded that discussions are ongoing with relevant departments, including the Korea Communications Commission, to develop guidelines for students at different developmental stages and to work closely with the National Assembly on legal frameworks.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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