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Offering Tour Programs for Young Backpackers From Around the World
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Jeju Island is famous for three things ― stone, wind and woman. Now, the southern island is expected to add one more to this list as the local self-governing administration is promoting the establishment of English education ``city.''
It plans to build an elementary, middle and high school before March 2011, as a model case, where students study whole courses in English.
Then, a total of 12 schools educating 9,000 students annually will be established in southwestern Jeju by 2015.
The Jeju government, which will party finance the project, will set a quota under which children from the lower-income bracket get priority to enter the school.
The idea of creating an English-only city came as an increasing number of teenagers are going abroad to learn the foreign language. Nearly five billion won per year is spent on this and they are often separated from their parents.
The new type of city, which will include various accommodation and amenities facilities, is hoped to attract youngsters who might otherwise have headed for English-speaking countries.
Furthermore, it will be cheaper and more accessible as the scenic island is less than two hours away from Seoul by plane.
Parents and students gave positive responses to the project.
According to the Jeju International City Development Center (JDC), a survey showed that 45,000 teenagers responded that they would enroll in English-only schools on the island rather than schools in foreign countries.
The plan was originally to open one-year English study courses.
But the period was considered too short to master the language, and so Jeju decided to adopt the 12-year regular curriculum to teach all subjects in English.
The boarding schools are expected to cost parents approximately 10 million won a year.
Educational establishments in the special city will introduce not only courses in South Korea but also those in other countries such as the United States.
In addition, the local administration is considering attracting foreign capital to form a complex of education, culture and leisure once the project becomes established.
It plans to invite foreign students to inject diversity into school life.
The English Education Center also has it sights set on making Jeju an English-language studying hub in Northeast Asia.
The organization will offer programs to train teachers and help students become familiar with the language.
Along with the school construction plan the island also aims to revive associated tourism, Jeju government officials said.
Despite its picturesque scenery and tourist attractions, the island has not made full use of its rich natural resources to attract foreign tourists, especially young backpackers.
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007, the number of backpackers aged between 26 and 35 years was estimated at 200 million around the world.
Those aged 15 to 25 years accounted for nearly 20 percent of tourists.
To attract backpackers from around the globe, Jeju plans to offer tour programs to look around the specialized city and neighboring tourist attractions such as Mount Halla.
Once young backpackers flock to the English education city, the place can give students an opportunity for cultural exchanges.
It has also worked out measures to promote Jeju's ambitious project and beautiful natural resources through a range of media, including Web sites for backpackers.
However, the island still faces several hurdles to proceed with the project.
Some civic groups expressed worries that the English-only schools might be for the wealthy only.
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr
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