By Na Jeong-ju
Seoul Itaewon Elementary School has announced a plan to launch the “Hello School” project to help newly admitted children from multiracial families learn about Korean culture and customs.
It is also seeking to create their own Korean as a Second Language (KSL) courses especially for students who have difficulty communicating as well as a homestay program, in which students from ordinary Korean families can visit multiracial families and vice versa.
As interracial marriages have jumped, Korean schools have put top priority on creating an educational environment that’s “friendlier” to immigrants and their children.
“The first thing to do is to remove cultural misunderstanding among students so that children from multiracial families can adapt fast to school and Korean society,” said an education ministry official.
On Wednesday, the ministry picked 30 elementary and secondary schools nationwide to help them develop the best practices of educating the children of multiracial families. Seoul Itaewon Elementary School is one of them.
The schools will receive subsidies ranging from 50 million won to 100 million won annually until 2014. The funds will be used to develop programs for the children.
The ministry also plans to strengthen counseling services for children to get advice and information when they choose schools and get jobs after graduation. There will be more programs aimed at enhancing social recognition of multiracial families and immigrants.
“Each school will develop customized educational programs for the children to help them grow as healthy, open-minded Korean citizens,” the official said.
According to the ministry, the number of children of multiracial families studying at elementary and secondary schools was 38,678 in 2011, about 0.55 percent of the total number of students. The number is increasing rapidly at an average annual rate of 20 percent, while the total number of students has decreased here due to the low birthrate.
The ministry forecast that the percentage of children from multiracial families will surpass 1 percent in 2014.
To tackle the problem, the ministry is focusing on establishing a system in which they can learn Korean culture and language, and are given equal educational opportunities.
“One measure includes teaching culture lessons at public schools, through which students can learn the languages and history of diverse countries,” another official said. “We will also set up specialized schools for the children of multiracial families so that they can learn Korean language and culture before they enroll in ordinary schools.”