The rumors about the reconstruction of the academic calendar of POSTECH has eventually emerged into a solid shape. One of the main changes is shortening winter vacation and extending summer vacation. To do so, the first term of 2017 is rendered to start earlier, on 22nd. Feb, and the second term starts in late September and finishes in late December. This leads to the summer vacation starting in early June, being lengthened to about 90 days, and the winter vacation being shortened to about 50 days.
The policy has been originated from with President Doh-Yeon Kim’s much enthusiasm. According to Chosunbiz, POSTECH’s faculty members pronounced that the university will ‘extend summer vacation to send in total of 800 students per year for internship’. President Kim attended Next-Generation Engineering Academia 3.0 Forum held on Nov. 30th last year, emphasizing the innovation of current education for engineers. He said, “Currently, education is not catching up with engineering technologies that are advancing second by second. Unfortunately, Korean universities are indifferent in renovating current education for engineers”. From this context, it is relatable of why President Kim had been pushing up for the reconstruction of academic calendar, only three months before the starting of a new term.
In order to minimize the confusion due to abrupt changes in academic calendar, the first term of 2016 will start normally which is on Mar. 2 but shortened from 16 to 15 weeks. This will still give the following summer vacation 90 days, as according to the new calendar. Higher Education Act regulates the number of university lectures as 30 weeks per year. POSTECH has been undergoing 16 weeks of lectures per term, considering cancellation of lectures due to public holiday. Even if the term is shortened to 15 weeks, the deficiency in the number of lectures can be solved by supplementary lectures through various ways.
There had been much dispute about what would be done with tuition fee for 2016 first semester. Despite of shortening the semester, it was confirmed by Tuition Inquiry Commission on Jan. 4. 2016 that tuition fee from this year would be increased by 1.5% to 2.83 million KRW, for the first time since 2011.
Such policy of extending summer vacation has already been done by KAIST, to let the students take their chances of studying abroad or doing internship more easily, without time pressure. However, the policy was abolished in 2012, because its unique calendar made various interchanges with other universities difficult, post graduate students could no longer attend major academic conferences which were often placed in February, etc. In order to be successful, considering various factors would be desirable.