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| Bong In-kun, left, principal of Gimpo Foreign Language High School, poses with Jessica Gatto, assistant director of admissions at the State University of New York at Fredonia, at the high school campus in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 7. The two had just signed a memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation. / Korea Times |
SUNY Fredonia to send English teachers to Gimpo Foreign Language High School
By Chung Hyun-chae
Qualified English teachers from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia will teach at Gimpo Foreign Language High School, beginning in February, as part of an arrangement between the two schools.
Bong In-kun, the high school's principal, and Jessica Gatto, assistant director of admissions at SUNY Fredonia, signed a memorandum of understanding Aug. 7 at the high school's campus in Gimpo, west of Seoul.
"We have been looking for well-qualified native English teachers for a long time," Bong said. "Yet it was nearly impossible to find the right people _ candidates who had received a high-quality education at an American university."
The school once had a negative experience with a foreign teacher it had hired on the recommendation of its outside partners, Bong explained.
"We found out he was a drug addict and his educational background was fabricated," the principal said. "By establishing this sisterhood relationship with SUNY Fredonia, we hope to recruit qualified teachers from the university."
Details of the desired qualifications ― that is, the specific degree programs participants will be required to complete ― have not yet been decided. However, Bong believes the program will benefit both schools, as well as SUNY graduates who want to pursue teaching careers.
"Korean universities prefer foreign teachers with three to four years' experience in local schools," he said. "Thus, teachers from SUNY Fredonia can transfer to universities later if they still want to work in Korea."
The school has asked SUNY Fredonia to send two English teachers in February and plans to invite more in the coming years.
"By learning from good foreign teachers, students can dream of studying abroad, especially at SUNY Fredonia, because teachers can advise them on how to study to increase their chances of admission," the principal said.
Asked whether Gimpo students applying for admission to SUNY Fredonia would be eligible for priority admission, Bong said he would discuss the matter with the U.S. school soon.
Gatto said the university welcomed more applications from Korean students, adding that the prospects of attracting talented Korean pupils constituted a major factor in its decision to pursue this partnership.
"We know that it is one of the best high schools in Korea, and its students are academically prepared for the challenges of going overseas [to study]," she said.
"The sisterhood relationship will allow us to bring a great deal of diversity to campus. We'd like to have students from really all over the world. The idea of having a stream of well qualified, very bright students is something very appealing to us."
Gatto had a school tour after the signing ceremony.
"It was very interesting to take a tour of the campus and watch a video on what students' lives are like," she said. "It seemed very similar to the type of students that we have right now. Students from both schools are academically motivated, but very actively involved in extracurricular activities."
The two schools also hold ambitions of reaching out to other institutions and forming other international partnerships.
"As a foreign language high school, we are focusing on education in different languages, especially to build students' speaking skills," Bong said. "To do so, we need more native speaker teachers of good quality."
He stressed that the school specialized not only in English education, but also in other foreign languages.
"I'm scheduled to fly to China tomorrow to visit universities there, including Harbin University, as a first step toward more partnerships," Bong said.
SUNY at Fredonia continues to seek partners in different Asian countries, Gatto added.
"We know that students are willing to travel for their education and that the type of university system that we have is so different to what they're accustomed to," she said. "That gives them really different, unique opportunities."
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