Universities to review measures to exempt boycotting med students from failing semester

Universities across South Korea will review measures to exempt medical students participating in an ongoing collective class boycott from failing the semester due to insufficient class hours, the education ministry said Tuesday.

Since the beginning of the current semester, many medical students nationwide have been boycotting classes in protest of the government’s plan to hike the medical school quota, raising concerns that students might be held back en masse due to excessive class absences.

In a recent survey conducted by the education ministry, some medical schools have proposed postponing the annual doctor license test for senior students, typically scheduled for September, along with the test application period, which normally takes place between July and August.

In the survey, universities also submitted plans to the ministry to allow greater flexibility in academic requirements for medical students and adopt a special rule exempting students from having to repeat a semester after failing it due to insufficient class attendance.

Find out more : Yonhap News Agency