20 Universities to Work as Brain for Interracial Families
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Twenty universities have been commissioned as centers to produce programs and strategies to help interracial families settle here more easily.
The schools, dubbed ``active brain towers (ABT),’’ will work closely with immigration authorities to work out policies to support immigrants, the Ministry of Justice said.
It wants the schools to cultivate professionals who are well versed in legal and all other practical matters essential to smooth settlement for immigrants and their families.
``Korea is becoming a multi-cultural society with a growing number of interracial marriages and immigrant workers. However, we have few experts in immigration studies,'' ministry official Shon Hueng-ki told The Korea Times.
About 1.13 million foreign nationals are staying in Korea and some 116,000 foreigners are married to Koreans. The government will support the selected universities in developing education programs for interracial families and fostering experts in immigration studies. The universities will get subsidies to set up research centers or graduate schools.
The four schools selected in Seoul are Sookmyung Women's University, Ewha Womans University, Seoul National University of Education, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Among universities in the provinces are Dong-A and Mokwon universities.
``We need to develop different immigration policies according to regional traits. For example, while many immigrant laborers in the northern part work in factories, those in the southern part are usually involved in farming,'' the official said.
However, to what extent the project, the latest in a series of steps for immigrants and interracial families, will help them remains questionable as most universities are far from enthusiastic about the project. The government set aside 100 million won ($100,000) in funding this year.
Also, the justice ministry and the education ministry are doing a duplicate project. ``We have already designated some universities for studies on interracial families. The universities the justice ministry selected have little to do with our project,'' said Lee Hye-jin, an official of the education ministry.