Vice education minister speaks ahead of UNESCO forum
By Jung Min-ho
Cultivating global-minded "citizens of the world" is the next big thing in Korean education, Vice Education Minister Kim Jae-choon says.
"In the world, where everything is interrelated, those who can think and act globally will get more opportunities to succeed," he said. "Nurturing such talent is our vision for the next 15 years."
Having a global mindset did not mean that people should love their countries any less, but focusing too much on nationalistic education as a means of uniting people was perhaps a thing of the past, he said.
"I think the ministry should focus more on teaching students about what it means to be a global citizen earlier in elementary and middle schools," he said.
"National boundaries mean much less than the past. And the world is already facing problems that many countries must cooperate on to solve. Also, education will be very meaningful for Korean society, which is increasingly becoming more diverse."
This vision will be presented to the 1,500 education authorities and experts from around the world at the World Education Forum, scheduled to be held in Incheon from May 19 to 22.
At the event, hosted by UNESCO and organized by the ministry, participants will discuss major education issues and set goals and plans to deal with them.
"This will be Korea's biggest education forum in history," Kim said. "It is expected to provide participant countries with a chance to evaluate what they have done over the past 15 years and to set the direction for the next 15 years."
Under five key themes ― the right to education, equity, inclusion, quality education and lifelong learning ― Korea will push the idea of "global citizenship education" to be adopted as an action plan here.
The results of the forum will be announced as the Incheon Declaration on the last day of the forum.
Earlier this month, at a briefing session with 150 foreign envoys to Seoul, Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea said Korea's education would take a step forward through the forum, noting that the nation now has a much bigger responsibility to serve the world.
U.S. President Barack Obama is among the famous fans of Korea's education system. Kim said Korea could do "so much" to help the world become a better place with its firsthand rags-to-riches experience.
"Korea has a lot to teach the world," he said. "Many countries in Asia and South America are eager to learn the success story of Korea, which created prosperity through the power of education."
At the request of UNESCO, the ministry is planning to hold a special session, titled "Education and Developing the Nation," on the second day of the event. How a country with little natural resources can rise with the power of education will be discussed. The results would also be reflected in the Incheon Declaration, Kim said.
Korea, one of the 20 members of UNESCO's Education for All Steering Committee, has extended its global reach over the past few years by joining global education campaigns, including the U.N.'s Global Education First Initiative and Global Partnership for Education.
Kim also believes Korea's highly advanced technology can take the nation's education system to the next level and help more countries in need.
Korea is already moving from a standardized education system to diversified, creativity-based learning with a master plan to develop ICT infrastructure with one PC for every student and Internet access in all classrooms.
Technologies for so-called "Smart Education" will be displayed at the forum.
"It definitely can help to bridge the education divide between students in Korea and beyond," Kim said. "This will help the world reduce inequalities in access to education.
"Korea has achieved enormous success as a fast follower over the past 60 years. Now, as the first mover, Korea needs to be more creative and responsible to lead the world in the education field."
By Jung Min-ho
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| Kim Jae-choon |
"In the world, where everything is interrelated, those who can think and act globally will get more opportunities to succeed," he said. "Nurturing such talent is our vision for the next 15 years."
Having a global mindset did not mean that people should love their countries any less, but focusing too much on nationalistic education as a means of uniting people was perhaps a thing of the past, he said.
"I think the ministry should focus more on teaching students about what it means to be a global citizen earlier in elementary and middle schools," he said.
"National boundaries mean much less than the past. And the world is already facing problems that many countries must cooperate on to solve. Also, education will be very meaningful for Korean society, which is increasingly becoming more diverse."
This vision will be presented to the 1,500 education authorities and experts from around the world at the World Education Forum, scheduled to be held in Incheon from May 19 to 22.
At the event, hosted by UNESCO and organized by the ministry, participants will discuss major education issues and set goals and plans to deal with them.
"This will be Korea's biggest education forum in history," Kim said. "It is expected to provide participant countries with a chance to evaluate what they have done over the past 15 years and to set the direction for the next 15 years."
Under five key themes ― the right to education, equity, inclusion, quality education and lifelong learning ― Korea will push the idea of "global citizenship education" to be adopted as an action plan here.
The results of the forum will be announced as the Incheon Declaration on the last day of the forum.
Earlier this month, at a briefing session with 150 foreign envoys to Seoul, Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea said Korea's education would take a step forward through the forum, noting that the nation now has a much bigger responsibility to serve the world.
U.S. President Barack Obama is among the famous fans of Korea's education system. Kim said Korea could do "so much" to help the world become a better place with its firsthand rags-to-riches experience.
"Korea has a lot to teach the world," he said. "Many countries in Asia and South America are eager to learn the success story of Korea, which created prosperity through the power of education."
At the request of UNESCO, the ministry is planning to hold a special session, titled "Education and Developing the Nation," on the second day of the event. How a country with little natural resources can rise with the power of education will be discussed. The results would also be reflected in the Incheon Declaration, Kim said.
Korea, one of the 20 members of UNESCO's Education for All Steering Committee, has extended its global reach over the past few years by joining global education campaigns, including the U.N.'s Global Education First Initiative and Global Partnership for Education.
Kim also believes Korea's highly advanced technology can take the nation's education system to the next level and help more countries in need.
Korea is already moving from a standardized education system to diversified, creativity-based learning with a master plan to develop ICT infrastructure with one PC for every student and Internet access in all classrooms.
Technologies for so-called "Smart Education" will be displayed at the forum.
"It definitely can help to bridge the education divide between students in Korea and beyond," Kim said. "This will help the world reduce inequalities in access to education.
"Korea has achieved enormous success as a fast follower over the past 60 years. Now, as the first mover, Korea needs to be more creative and responsible to lead the world in the education field."
