Seoul schools launch program to help immigrant parents support kids' learning

A promotional poster for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's support program for parents of immigrant-background students / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) is rolling out an integrated support system for parents of students from immigrant backgrounds, aiming to bridge information gaps that often leave families struggling to engage with their children’s schooling.

A 2024 national survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family found that parents from immigrant backgrounds see the lack of information on academics, admissions and career pathways (34.5 percent), along with difficulty assisting with schoolwork (32 percent), as their main challenges in raising children in Korea.

The centerpiece of the initiative is the "Dagagam Academy," a monthly Saturday workshop series running approximately 10 sessions from April through December. The program, organized through the SMOE's Multicultural Education Support Center, covers the structure of the Korean school curriculum, basic home-based academic support, student safety including bullying and child abuse prevention, and guidance on school and community resources.

Artificial intelligence-powered, real-time interpretation will be offered at in-person sessions to accommodate parents from diverse language backgrounds. Schools are required to refer parents of newly enrolled transfer students to the program, while other parents may register voluntarily.

Complementing the workshops, the SMOE publishes the "Dagagam Newsletter," a monthly multilingual education guide available in 16 languages, distributed to schools and households for shared use.

The SMOE’s Parent Support Center is also offering mobile counseling sessions, in which professional counselors and language-specific interpreters travel directly to parent gatherings. The sessions inform parents about how Korean schools operate, parent-child communication and the challenges of raising children across two cultures.

At the district level, education welfare centers in areas with high concentrations of immigrant-background students are expanding their roles.

The Yongsan Education Welfare Center is also building a local network spanning child and youth mental health services, as well as a support coalition for immigrant-serving organizations. The Yeongdeungpo Education Welfare Center, for its part, is providing learning coaching and mentoring for multicultural-family students while participating in a community network aimed at supporting long-term settlement.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.