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Kim Tae-hwan, 11th from the left, governor of the Jeju Special Self-governing Province, Chung Jong-hwan, eighth from left, minister of land, transportation and maritime affairs; Byon Jong-il, sixth from left, chairman and CEO of Jeju Free International City Development Center; Rep. Song Young-gil, fifth from left, and other VIPs pose during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jeju Global Education City in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, June 17.
/ Courtesy of Jeju Free International City Development Center |
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island ㅡ For years, Korea has seen billions of dollars slip away with the thousands of students who go abroad to study English, and the government, despite pledging to strengthen public education to reduce the demand, has proved unable to halt the exodus.
Step forward Jeju Island. The volcanic outcrop, with ambitious plans to build an English-only education city over 3,793 square meters, about half the size of Yeouido in Seoul, could be at the vanguard to turn the tide if its ambitions are to be believed.
Officials are talking big. They want to attract close to five figures in students from home and abroad. ``World leader" was the gauntlet thrown down at the recent groundbreaking ceremony to herald the start of works.
The new city, dubbed ``Jeju Global Education City,'' plans to open three primary and secondary schools for domestic and international students by 2011, and nine others by 2015. It will accommodate an English education center, residences, hospitals and other welfare facilities.
The Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC), host of the project, expects the city to draw more than 9,000 students from Korea and overseas who want to enter an English-immersion environment.
By 2015, it is expected that the city will have reduced demand for overseas studies.
When they talk about immersion, they appear to mean it. Every subject will be taught in English, excluding Korean language and literature, social studies and moral education. Unlike schools elsewhere, authorities will have full autonomy to determine the curriculum, teaching materials, admission process and credit hours.
``We aim to become a world-class leader among educational cities by nurturing globally-oriented talents through the provision of high-quality and optimized education,'' the JDC said in a statement.
Held on June 17, the groundbreaking ceremony drew leaders from relevant ministries, organizations and hundreds of Jeju citizens.
``The central government will pay keen attention to the project and fully support it to make it an educational hub in the Asia-Pacific region,'' said Chung Jong-hwan, minister of land, transportation and maritime affairs.
Jeju Special Self-governing Province Governor Kim Tae-hwan said the provincial government would go all out to ensure success.
Rep. Song Young-gil of the main opposition Democratic Party said his party has talked of the need for a new international airport in its vicinity.
Quality Matters
Making the city truly global depends on the ability to convince prestigious foreign schools to set up campuses and maintain a level of quality, say its key players.
``The key to the success of the project will be identifying school partners who will make the commitment to create and sustain the level of quality education and instructional programming in Jeju that they currently produce in their home schools,'' said Christopher Bogden, manager of the project.
In April, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with North London Collegiate School to establish a branch here.
``The biggest challenge is to find schools that are outward-looking, entrepreneurial in spirit and interested in establishing a unique international presence,'' Bogden added.
He said his investment relations team has talked to a significant number of elite independent schools in the United States.
``I am very encouraged by their interest and hope to bring a delegation from Korea to visit prospective partners in the U.S. sometime this summer,'' he said.
Discussions for partnerships with other businesses and institutions are currently under way, the JDC said.
Optimism Prevails
According to a JDC nationwide survey of Korean students who want to study abroad, 49 percent expressed an interest in the city.
In another survey of Chinese parents, 52 percent said they would send their children to private boarding schools on the island.
``Jeju will not only meet the demand for quality education for the English language domestically, but will also be positioned as a global education hub of Asia, attracting a number of students from China, Japan, Taiwan and other nations in Southeast Asia,'' said Byon Jong-il, chairman and CEO of the JDC. ``Its geographical closeness to major cities in Asia is also attractive.''
Jeju is located within two hours flight from five cities with populations of over 10 million ㅡ Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Tokyo ㅡ and has a total potential market of 750 million people.
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