▲ A joint press conference against the PRIME project. Provided by the Daily UNN.

Korea University Student Association (KUSA) Star:zari participated in a joint press conference against the controversial PRIME project that was held in front of the Government Complex on June 9. Short for “Program for Industrial Needs–Matched Education,” the PRIME project is a government-sponsored initiative that aims to improve the quality of university education in accordance with the labor demands from Korea’s major industries.

A total of 21 universities that were finalized for the PRIME project will receive a grant worth as much as 15 billion won per year, depending on the scale of the project. However, the students at the press conference demanded the Ministry of Education (MOE) to abolish the project altogether as it would “undermine the sovereignty of schools.” In addition, they argued that an indiscriminate merging of different disciplines as a result of the PRIME project will erode the true meaning of education.

The speakers added that “MOE’s continuous attempts to reform university education without any revision is an infringement on student’s rights to education and should be stopped immediately.” Aside from the PRIME project, MOE has been pushing forward another reform measure called the Core Business Program, which has also come under fire in recent months.