ID :
188179
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 12:06
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/188179
The shortlink copeid
Lee calls for calm approach to college tuition issue
(ATTN: UPDATES with comments by police chief, education minister in paras 7-12)
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak instructed the government Monday not to rush to come up with measures to lower college tuitions, saying that hastily made policies could devastate the country, according to the presidential spokesman.
The remark was seen as a warning that solutions to the tuition issue could involve an enormous amount of money and that the government and the ruling party should guard against making populist policies just to calm intensifying calls for lower tuitions ahead of major elections next year.
The government "should take time in a calm manner" to study solutions to the issue, Lee told senior presidential secretaries in a regular meeting, according to presidential spokesman Park Jung-ha.
"If the government creates misguided policies, it could rock the country," Lee said.
High college tuitions have been a top social and political issue in South Korea in recent weeks, with students holding near daily demonstrations to call for government measures to lower tuitions. Thousands of students and civic activists rallied in central Seoul last Friday.
The ruling and opposition parties have promised to help reduce tuitions, but are divided over how to finance a cut, which would involve a massive sum of money.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) says the government can realize "half-priced tuition" by withdrawing the policy of cutting private income and corporate taxes. But the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) remains negative about the DP's plan while reportedly considering the use of special funds reserved to support local administrations.
On Monday, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho reacted negatively to the opposition's proposed policy.
"It would take 7 trillion won (US$6.48 billion) for the government to subsidize half of the amounts printed in tuition bills," Lee said during a parliamentary committee meeting. "Even if the government expands support for colleges, it is inevitable to limit the support to poorly managed schools."
He said the government will make efforts to improve the current state-funded scholarship system so more underprivileged students can benefit from the scholarships or low-interest educational loans from the government.
Meanwhile, Cho Hyun-oh, head of the National Police Agency, said he instructed lower-level police organizations to positively consider permitting students' rallies for tuition cuts, saying most of the gatherings proceeded peacefully over the past 15 days.
"We will not unconditionally prohibit students' rallies in downtown areas, although it is difficult to allow a large-scale rally where thousands or tens of thousands are gathered," the police chief told reporters.
jschang@yna.co.kr
sshim@yna.co.kr
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak instructed the government Monday not to rush to come up with measures to lower college tuitions, saying that hastily made policies could devastate the country, according to the presidential spokesman.
The remark was seen as a warning that solutions to the tuition issue could involve an enormous amount of money and that the government and the ruling party should guard against making populist policies just to calm intensifying calls for lower tuitions ahead of major elections next year.
The government "should take time in a calm manner" to study solutions to the issue, Lee told senior presidential secretaries in a regular meeting, according to presidential spokesman Park Jung-ha.
"If the government creates misguided policies, it could rock the country," Lee said.
High college tuitions have been a top social and political issue in South Korea in recent weeks, with students holding near daily demonstrations to call for government measures to lower tuitions. Thousands of students and civic activists rallied in central Seoul last Friday.
The ruling and opposition parties have promised to help reduce tuitions, but are divided over how to finance a cut, which would involve a massive sum of money.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) says the government can realize "half-priced tuition" by withdrawing the policy of cutting private income and corporate taxes. But the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) remains negative about the DP's plan while reportedly considering the use of special funds reserved to support local administrations.
On Monday, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho reacted negatively to the opposition's proposed policy.
"It would take 7 trillion won (US$6.48 billion) for the government to subsidize half of the amounts printed in tuition bills," Lee said during a parliamentary committee meeting. "Even if the government expands support for colleges, it is inevitable to limit the support to poorly managed schools."
He said the government will make efforts to improve the current state-funded scholarship system so more underprivileged students can benefit from the scholarships or low-interest educational loans from the government.
Meanwhile, Cho Hyun-oh, head of the National Police Agency, said he instructed lower-level police organizations to positively consider permitting students' rallies for tuition cuts, saying most of the gatherings proceeded peacefully over the past 15 days.
"We will not unconditionally prohibit students' rallies in downtown areas, although it is difficult to allow a large-scale rally where thousands or tens of thousands are gathered," the police chief told reporters.
jschang@yna.co.kr
sshim@yna.co.kr
