Government Bends Its Rules for Beneficiaries of State Scholarship

The government is apparently ignoring its own university admission guidelines for foreign students, set up last September, by exempting those on state-funded scholarship programs from the screening process.

Critics say this means the qualifications of students benefiting from the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program could be lower than those of students studying here on their own financial means. It could also create discriminatory issues, some foreign students have said.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, however, refuses to budge from its policy of not requiring students invited under the state program to meet any admission guidelines.

Lee Kyung-lim, an official dealing with foreign student policy at the ministry said, "We have decided not to apply the rules to students under the auspices of government scholarship as we believe the program is working well."

Currently under the admission guidelines, foreign students are required to have reached grade four ― out of six ― in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).

Alternatively, they have to prove their English proficiency with a minimum score of 550 out of 990 in the Seoul National University-developed TEPS; 550 out of 677 in the paper-based TOEFL, 210 out of 300 on the computer-based test, and more than 80 out of 120 on the Internet-based test.

Some foreign students are complaining about the unfairness of the GKS program.

"It is considered an honor to be selected as a government scholarship student. Thus, the program should recruit high quality students. However, I met many state scholarship students who speak Korean very poorly," said a Turkish student in Busan who pays his own way.

Even a student who benefits from the government scholarship pointed out problems with the program. In an email to The Korea Times, the student said, "The process of selecting scholarship students is carried out by Korean embassies in related countries in an unfair process. Most of the students, including me, do not take any exams or undergo a screening process."

"I got this scholarship thanks to my father's high position in my home country's government. That's why most NIID students don't have a good educational background."

Complaints came not only from foreigners studying here but from overseas.

An Egyptian who serves as a Korean language guide in his country is hoping to study through the scholarship program.

But he says he hasn't even been given an opportunity to apply as the Korean Embassy has already nominated students according to its own rules.

The National Institute for International Education (NIIED), the agency supervising the scholarship program, recruits students.

Asked by The Korea Times why the embassy didn't advertise the recruitment for the program like other embassies in other countries, a consular official said, "We have already selected three students from Ain Shams University and will recommend them to the NIIED."

In comparison, Japan and China announce the student selection process and list the criteria for the scholarship program. The Japanese government conducts examinations in Korean and selects the 10 best students for interviews.

The Chinese government recommends the top scores from a total of a possible 400 points. Two hundred points for the Chinese proficiency test, or HSK, 100 points for the English examination and the other 100 points are calculated from the grade point average (GPA).