Ewha is set to launch its Global Ewha 2010 Project (GE Project) that aims to make Ewha a global hub for women’s education.

The project includes constructing a solid education, research, and administrative infrastructure around the world by creating branch campuses in the U.S., Europe, and China, opening a new interdisciplinary college that provides courses in English called Scranton College, and expanding Korean language education programs for international students.

Considering the magnitude and significance of this project, it is natural for Ewha to shift a lot of its energy and attention to this ambitious project.

However, as much as students are happy for Ewha to prove once again that it is and always has been a leader and pioneer in education for women, there are also voices complaining that the project is being pushed forward at the price of neglecting students’ needs and problems.

As one example, on the discussion board of the Ewha portal website a student complained about the course registration system and added at the end, “With professors teaching in classrooms which are packed with 200 students at Ewha, how can carrying out the GE Project make sense? The school should know its priorities.”

In fact, for many years there never has been a single time when the discussion board was not filled with complaints, especially during the course registration period. But how much is Ewha doing to answer these complaints by current students studying at Ewha? Ewha’s creative drive has launched the EGPP Partnership Program and the GE Project, but where are Ewha’s innovative ideas when students truly need them to put an end to the chronic problem regarding the course registration system?

Ewha seems to have a sensitive ear for the big, large scale and ambitious projects it is carrying out. But the other ear, that should be pricked up to listen to students, seems to be less sensitive. For the smooth implementation of the GE project, the International Education Institute has been enlarged into the Office of Global Affairs and is now capable of handling more work and doing it efficiently. But for successfully dealing with problems that students face, measures seem to be slow, and not really visible or effective.

   In this era of globalization, spreading out to the world is indeed important. However, Ewha should be careful not to devote all of its energy and attention only to such projects without leaving any energy to listen to the voices of the students and their needs.

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지