To promote Korea globally and attract more foreign students to its universities the Ministry of Education has launched a ground-breaking program. To popularize Korean language education abroad. The move, detailed in a recent article by ‘The Korea Times, underscores the government’s determination to meet the needs of the population and train skilled workers in the growing industry.
The product of collaboration between the Ministry of National Education and nine regional educational institutions, this program aims to provide more opportunities for people around the world to learn Korean. With the birth rate falling and the number of home schoolers decreasing, the government is realizing the urgency of attracting foreign talent. This program aims not only to reduce the impact of this population shift, but also to eliminate regional inequalities in the development of universities outside the capital.
Selected educational institutions in major cities and provinces in Korea will implement the pilot program to facilitate the exchange of ideas. These offices will promote Korean language education together with Korean educational institutions around the world, thus facilitating foreign students’ access to Korean universities.
Song Geun-hyun, who is in charge of global education planning at the ministry said, “We expect this program to help increase the capacity of universities outside Seoul and reduce regional inequality.”
To start this process, each educational institution will send expert and administrative personnel in Korean language education to designated centres. These professionals will not only supervise language teaching, but also provide significant support in facilitating administrative processes for foreign students. For example, the Incheon Education Office plans to co-operate with institutions in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City and Tashkent to organize cultural camps that allow students to experience Korean culture.
Upon the basis of the outcomes received in the first phase of the Ministry of National Education will broad its fields of activities and increasing the number of participates in the future. In the long run, this objective is not only about luring more students to learn in the South Korean high educational institutions, but to also advocate for the deployment of Korean as an extra compulsory language in the primary and secondary school system globally. The government added additional investments to their budgets by allocating a special grant of 10.4 billion won ($7.9 million) to each education bureau. This financial support reinforces the government’s commitment to the success of the program.
Currently, Korean is taught as a standard subject in 20 countries. This is a growing global trend. Through the joint efforts of this program, Korea aims to further develop cultural and educational excellence in the world.