Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin: “Considering a shift to public management of college applications; plan to be drawn up by December”

[Financial News] The Ministry of Education concluded that the access outage on the final day of early-admissions applications last September was caused by a software compatibility issue that arose during the installation of a new server operating system. The ministry said it would consider shifting college application processing to a public management system and draw up measures to strengthen the system's public character by December, before regular admissions begin.
At a general audit by the National Assembly Education Committee on the 23rd, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said, “We will consider shifting to a public management system, starting by rigorously strengthening public management and supervision of college applications, a sensitive and important area.” He also noted concerns among lawmakers and the public about the application process being handled by a private agency.
Minister Choi said, “By December, before the upcoming regular admissions cycle, we will draw up specific improvement measures and plans to strengthen the system's public character as we transition to a public management system, and manage the process thoroughly to ensure this kind of confusion never happens again.” The specific form of public management will be included in the plan to be drawn up in December.
The outage occurred in the system of Uway Apply, the application-processing agency, on September 11, the final day of early-admissions applications. The Ministry of Education conducted a special investigation in coordination with the Korean Council for University Education and LG CNS, a private IT specialist, with each party cross-checking the others’ findings.
Reporting the investigation’s findings, Minister Choi said, “We confirmed that this year, when the agency installed a new server operating system, an access outage occurred due to technical compatibility issues among key software programs.”
The Ministry of Education identified as the root causes of the incident inadequate advance verification and testing of various possible failure scenarios during installation of the new operating system, and the agency’s failure to prepare a detailed response system for outages in advance.
On that basis, the ministry decided to focus on managing regular admissions. Minister Choi said, “Our first priority will be to ensure the stable operation of regular admissions.”
First, the response manual for use in the event of an outage will be upgraded. The functions and specifications of equipment used by the two application-processing agencies will be standardized, and preventive procedures such as overload testing will be made mandatory. Detailed rules will also be established for extending application deadlines according to the circumstances of an outage and for notifying applicants. Minister Choi said, “We will make the key contents of the manual public,” adding, “We will ensure that all applicants and parents can anticipate what actions will be taken in the event of an outage.”
In September, the Ministry of Education also formed a joint task force (TF) involving the Korean Council for University Education and the two agencies. The TF will operate an ongoing joint contact network starting in the application-preparation period, and clarify each organization’s role and the reporting channels to be used if an outage occurs.
The way application-to-seat ratios are disclosed will also change. To prepare for possible outages, the Ministry of Education decided to revise the disclosure method and timing so that the final ratio is not released while applications are still open. It aims to introduce a new applicant-number system, starting with this regular admissions cycle, that does not allow the ratio to be inferred.
However, the timing of the introduction has not been decided. Minister Choi said, “The system needs to be thoroughly checked to ensure its stability can be reliably guaranteed.” He added, “We will consult closely with the National Assembly based on the results of future checks and decide on the final implementation date.”
Regarding changes to education grants, Minister Choi said that day, “The Ministry of Education is taking very seriously the concerns raised by several committee members.” He continued, “As for the general grant—the education budget the government distributes to metropolitan and provincial offices of education—we will strictly regulate populist, cash-based support programs found at some offices, including by imposing penalties.” He said, “We will take steps to ensure that valuable education funds are used efficiently where they are truly needed.”
In early childhood education and care, Minister Choi outlined plans to integrate childcare and education for infants and young children. He said a roadmap would be drawn up by the end of the year, with urgent priorities such as support for meal and snack costs at daycare centers and improving childcare teachers’ working conditions to be addressed first. He said, “We will ensure that children receive education and childcare services of the same standard, whichever institution they attend.” He also said the ministry would listen to people working in the field to ensure that young children in need of special care, including those with disabilities or migrant backgrounds, are not left behind.
On student suicide, he said, “Students’ mental health is also an extremely urgent issue.” He said he would actively support a youth psychological autopsy program analyzing the causes of suicide and further strengthen safety nets at every stage: prevention, detection, intervention and recovery.
The Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which clarifies the designation criteria and duties of Parent Support Centers as part of the legalization of parent policies, passed the State Council on the 22nd. The Ministry of Education plans to expand parent-support programs nationwide. In response to cases of social service personnel causing problems at schools, the ministry will review the status of their job training and draw up measures to improve the system.
In higher education, the ministry is pursuing package support for regional flagship national universities as part of the “Creating 10 Seoul National Universities” initiative. It said it would consult with the National Assembly on additional support during deliberations on the budget bill. The ministry is supporting the expansion of faculty, facilities and equipment at national university medical schools to improve educational conditions, and said it would work to secure sufficient funding next year as well.
The Ministry of Education is also pursuing a revision to the Decree on the Appointment of Educational Officials to improve job security for university teaching assistants. Since some universities do not count parental leave toward the years of service required for promotion, the ministry will recommend a revision and also pursue amendments to related laws.

[email protected] Kim Man-ki Reporter