President Lee Myung-bak will invite 150 college student council leaders to the presidential office to hear their opinions about education, jobs and other issues so he can reflect them in policy making processes, his office said Friday.

Students from about 80 universities across the nation will visit Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday to talk with Lee in a free and open atmosphere where they are invited to raise any issue, from college tuition fees to jobs, his office said.

“The meeting was prepared to figure out what young people need and suffer, by communicating directly with them,” a senior presidential aide said. “We will reflect (their opinions) when establishing policies in coming days.”

The meeting comes at a time when higher education costs have emerged as a major social and political issue alongside growing household debt and increasing commodity prices in Asia‘s fourth-largest economy. Many college graduates find it tough to obtain regular employment despite costly tuition fees, as the local job market has tightened in the face of global economic crisis.

During the talks, Lee plans to introduce lucrative business and job opportunities in the Middle East while explaining his recent trip to four Middle Eastern countries and to encourage the students to look abroad for more options, the aide said.

It will be the last round of meetings with college students across the nation, which began in December of last year, his office said. (Yonhap News)