One-on-one Korean language lessons at home will be available to children of foreign or multicultural families simply by calling teachers starting March.
Seoul Metropolitan Government announced measures Tuesday to offer better language education so that such children could better adapt themselves to Korean society more easily and quickly.
According to the new program, 200 foreign or multicultural families with children aged between three and 12 can get a home visit language lesson. The program will be expanded to 2,500 families by 2013.
“Teachers will visit the homes once a week and give a one-hour Korean language lesson to not only the children but also the parents if they wish,” city official Park Sang-tae said.
For the program, the city government made an agreement with Daekyo, an education service provider famous for one-on-one instruction at home, Tuesday.
“The company employs teachers who majored in Korean language and have completed the firm’s training courses. Those instructors will provide the lessons and if the demand is high, we may recruit more people for the program,” Park said.
Of the 47,000 won ($41) program fee, the family will have to pay a 5,000 won share while the city government and Daekyo will cover the remaining expenses.
Application is possible through the websites of the city or Seoul Global Centers, district village centers or migrant workers’ centers, or through Daekyo’s call center at 1588-1109.
Besides the call lesson program, an intensive language class will be offered to primary school children from foreign or multicultural families.
Twenty children per class will receive two hours of Korean language education after school for five days a week by three teachers. Pilot classes will be first held at three elementary schools.
“Currently, 25 schools provide after-school language courses where the foreign population is dense. But the course is offered only once or twice a week and it takes a long time for a child to learn the language. The new program will quicken the process with an intensive timetable,” Park said.
For preschool children, similar language courses are available at Yeongdeungpo Global Village Center and Seongdong Migrant Workers’ Center.
“There are many cases that children of foreign and multicultural families give up attending Korean schools or have difficulty adapting at school due to a lack of Korean language skills and maladjustment to the new culture. The programs are expected to help these children,” Park said.
서울시, 외국인 아동에 한국어 방문교육 실시
외국인이나 다문화가정 자녀들을 위해 1대1 방문 한국어교육이 3월부터 실시된다.
서울시는 이 아이들이 한국 사회에 더 빨리 적응할 수 있도록 돕기 위한 언어 교육 프로그램을 발표했다.
이 프로그램에 따르면, 3세에서 12세 사이의 외국인 혹은 다문화가정을 둔 200가구에게 방문 교육이 실시된다. 2013년까지는 2,500 가정이 이용할 수 있게 된다.
이 프로그램을 위해 서울시는 ㈜대교와 협약을 맺었다.
서울시 관계자는“대교에는 한국어 전공을 하고 대교의 훈련 프로그램을 마친 교사들이 있습니다. 그 교사들이 수업을 할 것이고, 수요가 많으면 인원을 더 충원할 수 있습니다.”라고 말했다.
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