Meaning of Curriculum Change

Ahn, Duck Sun

Abstract

There have been quite active discussions on the revision or improvement of medical education curriculum recently more than ever before in Korea influenced by the results of the National Medical Licens ing Examination for the last 2 years and consequently attempts to revise medical education curriculum became in vogue. Efforts to improve curriculum further became imperative with the introduction of university grade evaluation scheme. But, there appears quite a big discord or confusion in the real broad meaning of curriculum improvememt since curriculum changes mainly aim at raising the passing rate of the medical school graduates in the National Medical Licensing Examination in most cases. It is quite obvious that the main purpose of the National Medical Licensing Examination and the national university grade evaluation scheme is to produce medical doctors who are capable of performing primary health care and this purpose also meets the policy guidelines of the WHO. It, therefore, is very clear that the curriculum revision or improvement should not be focused on or aimed at only raising the passing rate of the medical school graduates in the National Medical Licewnsing Examination as it only has a very narrow sense of meaning.