The National Human Rights Commission of Korea recommends the removal of age restrictions for prospective students at the Korean Aerospace University.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended recently that age restrictions on new enrollments be removed at the School of Air Transportation and Logistics (‘the School’) at the Korea Aerospace University.
Under the School’s 2007 enrollment scheme, entering students that had completed or are exempt from military service must be under 24 years of age, and those that have not yet completed military service and are not exempt must be under 20 years of age. Only prospective students within these age restrictions are currently eligible to apply.
The School contends that the age restriction is necessary, owing to the demanding aspects of pilot training and the future career of students. Many students at the Korea Aerospace University enroll in courses for air transportation training, mostly aiming to enter the Korean Airline’s pilot training course (Module 1) or the Air Force pilot officer training (Module 2) after graduation. The School states that many of these post-graduation commercial training courses also restrict the age of candidates from 20 to 27 years of age. Since the School must consider the future of their students after graduation, an age restriction guarantees that students will have ample time to graduate and enter into these types of programs. A removal of the age restriction rule would lead to adverse consequences for graduating students, including exclusion from post-graduate training courses and lack of alternative career paths for older graduates.
After investigation, the Commission concluded that students in the School of Air Transportation and Logistics have the option of transferring to another major in lieu of pursing Module 1 or Module 2. The Commission also found that those graduating from the School are not excluded from seeking alternative career paths with their skills.
Furthermore, the Commission argued that many students outside of the conventional age range are not entering with the purpose of gaining employment with a commercial airline company. Without considering the full application of a prospective student, including qualifications, capabilities and intentions for study, any age restriction is unreasonable and discriminatory. The Commission recommended that the School revise the enrollment regulations and remove the age restriction for prospective students applying to the School of Air Transportation and Logistics.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001, offering investigation and remedy services for Korean citizens and foreigners residing in Korea against human rights violations and discrimination. The Commission provides policy recommendations and remedial action against human rights infringements, collaborates with international human rights organizations and implements educational programs to improve the human rights culture.
