By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak told children from multi-racial and working-class families, Monday, that hope and the can-do spirit led him to get the top job.
He made the remarks in a meeting with about 150 underprivileged children from multi-racial families and elementary school students living in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, at Cheong Wa Dae on the occasion of Children's Day. The fishery town was hit hard by an oil spill last December.
Back in his early childhood, Lee recalled his family barely made ends meet but the two values pushed him to come this far.
Earlier, Lee addressed the need for tailored policy responses for a growing number of children from interracial families, pledging a childcare support system for them.
Mindful of foreign wives suffering domestic violence, President Lee stressed the positive role for husbands in a family setting, saying they should help their children smoothly adjust to the school environment and become dedicated to their wives.
The population of multi-racial couples, mostly Asian-Korean couples, has increased since 2000 when bachelors living in rural areas began seeking foreign women in China and Southeast Asian countries as their spouses.
Now, many of these interracial couples' children are of school age.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology reported that 85 percent of children from these ethnic minority families are attending elementary schools. Those in secondary education account for 14.9 percent.
According to a 2006 study performed by former lawmaker Lee Joo-ho who now serves as a senior presidential secretary for education, science and culture, many of these interracial children were struggling to catch up in class as a result of various factors such as the language barrier, cultural differences, lack of proper pre-school education and poverty.
About 8 percent of children from ethnic minority groups showed very poor academic performance and skills, which would make it difficult for them to advance to the next grade. The comparable figure for children from non-interracial families stood at 1 percent.
The story for secondary school students gets even more serious. About 10 percent of middle school students from interracial families showed very low academic ability hampering their smooth adjustment to the next level of academic learning as long as no school intervention is made.
Educators say that poverty and poor educational infrastructure for these children are responsible for their relatively poor academic ability.
A 2005 study prepared by the Ministry for Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs said that the income of 52.9 percent of interracial families was below the minimum that is needed for a decent life.
Poverty prevented the underprivileged children from taking adequate pre-school education as well as Korean language programs.
Educators also pointed out that the children are falling prey to peer bullying, which prevented their smooth adjustment to the school environment.