Chun Taeck-soo, secretary general
of Korean National Commission
for UNESCO |
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Chun Taeck-soo, secretary general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), urged the government to address the issue of education in developing countries during the G-20 Summit, a meeting of the 20 leading economies which will take place in Seoul in November.
He pointed out the illiteracy rate in Korea has gone down dramatically over the past five decades but the rate in Africa has hardly changed in the same period.
"No other time is more appropriate than now for Korea to address the issue of 'Education for All' (one of UNESCO's campaigns)," Chun said in an interview with The Korea Times.
"Korea with its own experience knows well about what the educational needs are in recipient countries."
According to the Korean branch of UNESCO, the country's illiteracy rate has gone from 80 percent to 1.7 percent since 1945, a number quoted as an indication of Korea's educational fervor and economic development.
During the 1970s and 1980s when Korea was striving to improve its economy, the government didn't loosen its grip on education for the young, as it made schooling compulsory for all children.
Now, compulsory education is applicable up to the middle school level.
Chun's call is not just coming from within the UNESCO national commission in Korea. In fact, what he is advocating was relayed to him by participants of the High-level Group Meeting for EFA, an annual meeting of African nations' education policymakers, and officials of UNESCO and other international organizations that pursue educational causes.
"In fact, on three occasions, UNESCO Secretary General Irina Bokova has pointed out the importance of education (being included) as part of the G-20 Summit agenda.
"I could feel the call from African education policymakers that Korea should address educational challenges of developed nations on their behalf," Chun said.
The high-level policy dialogue has taken place for years, and Korea has been invited for the first time this year because the country is hosting the G-20 Summit and is a new member of OECD's Development Assistance Committee, a club of donors.
Chun visited Ethiopia for the meeting. The program Bridge is UNESCO Korea's new initiative under Chun's leadership that will help sub-Saharan people learn to read.
Starting in September, it will send a group of Korean college students and graduates to five chosen African nations, instructing college students there how to teach their fellow citizens, who will be mostly adults.
Private Evening Classes
"Do you remember 'yahak' (private evening classes) where adults gathered to learn after work from volunteers from colleges? That's what we are trying to do in Africa," Chun said.
Through Bridge, trained Korean volunteers will build up the capacity of college students in host countries to teach adults.
What appears to be similar to a volunteer program run by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is different in two respects.
First, Bridge will focus solely on education.
Second, the program will nurture volunteers to become experts on their host countries by the end of the program, which lasts for four years.
"It might sound too long for some. But, two years are not long enough (to train them)," he said.
The first two years will mainly focus on the volunteer work, which will be followed by education on the country for the next two years.
Future Diplomats
"This means that in the long run, they could become Korea's future foreign diplomats and businessmen who have expertise in those countries," he said. Such a progression would be similar to that of Kathleen Stephens, the incumbent American ambassador to Korea who spent a few years in Korea in the 1970s as a U.S. volunteer.
"She was one of the very few who grew out of her relatively short experience in Korea. As a result of this program, I am sure we will see many 'Kathleen Stephens.'"
Although starting with only 15 to 20 students, the program will gradually expand to send 10 students to each of 40 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, he said.
The reception of Bridge by African countries was pleasing, he said.
"The Kenyan education minister showed great interest, as did Ethiopia's."
African nations have long had high illiteracy rates, and more importantly, they have not seen much improvement at all.
UNESCO and other sub-U.N. organizations have come up with several targets and action plans to fight against illiteracy.
Bridge is unique in the sense that it is the first hands-on field project that UNESCO Korea has undertaken, said Lee Joo-ok, a program specialist who has been with the body for four years now.
Unlike old projects that saw very little direct interaction with people in the field - because UNESCO Korea mostly donated funds to local NGOs and national commissions of UNESCO in the country - the new program engages people directly, he said.
"This will allow emotional communication among Korean volunteers and participants in recipient countries," which would be the foundation of true learning, Chun said.
Who Is Chun Taeck-soo
Chun has a background in economics, the subject he studied for his post-graduate and doctorate degrees. He took office as secretary general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO in October 2008.
He is an expert in "cultural economics," which researches economic aspects of culture.
He has authored several publications on the subject, including "The Role of Traditional Culture in the Rapid Growth of the Korean Economy" in 1998 and "The Change in the World Economic Environment and the Performing Arts" in 1999.
He is also a professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, where he has been teaching since 1991.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr
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