Last month, an e-mail was sent to some students by the school notifying that the off-campus work-based aid halted because of the lack of the government subsidy. 85 students suffered material loss because they cannot receive any more financial aid in this period. This sudden cease of work-based aid made the students upset. At first, the school revealed that the school recruited student workers exceeding the quota this term in order to spend the whole budget. However, soon, the school changed their stance that the matter had been caused by some companies’ careless management making students work overtime.
Because of such a change of school’s position, many students got to be in the confusion. In fact, some students have asked the General Student Council (GSC) and related department of which one is true between the two. If the school had stated their consistent stance based on the real fact, such a confusing situation would not be made. However, since different stances are existing together now, I think the school should clarify which the real reason of the case is to the students suffered from it.
In addition, the school needs to find out the alternative so that the students involved can be compensated for their trouble as soon as possible. As the students who benefit from the work-based aid are under certain level of income quantile (below ninth quantile). As the students involved are not wealthy enough, this sudden suspension will be felt considerably huge to them. Some of them even would not be able to afford their tuition fee and struggle to look for other part-time jobs instead.
Moreover, if the statement that the school made afterwards is true, it would be better to supplement the national work-based aid system in the way the students can get what they deserve for their work. For example, in the U.S., Federal Work-Study, which is a program similar to the work-based aid in Korea, usually detaches university students to public agencies or nonprofit organizations, not private businesses. By limiting the scope of the workplace pursuing the public interests, I think, the number of students who are forced to the extended work would decrease.