Children of multicultural backgrounds still face discrimination in schools

Women who migrated to Korea to marry Korean husbands and students from multicultural backgrounds attend a conference organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, at Ansan Multicultural Family Support Center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Feb.7. Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Gov't vows to boost efforts to create inclusive educational environment

By Lee Hyo-jin

ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province ― Gu Young-chan, 16, still remembers the first day when he moved to new school a few years ago.

He was introduced as a "multicultural child" by his homeroom teacher in front of the whole class. "I immediately saw the uncomfortable looks on my classmates' faces, which made me feel nervous and awkward," said Gu, whose mother is Chinese and father Korean.

Being labeled as a multicultural student on the first day of school was not only unpleasant, but it also made it harder for him to make new friends. "It felt like my classmates were keeping a distance from me," he said.

Seventeen-year-old Yu Jin, also born to a Chinese national mother and Korean national father, once dreamt of becoming a soldier when she grows up, based on her talents and interest in physical activities.

"But I had to give it up," Yu said. "I didn't know how and where to receive the necessary training to join the army after school, nor could I find someone whom I could consult with about my career."

Their stories are emblematic of the difficulties faced by many children from multicultural backgrounds living in Korea. They often struggle from racial and cultural discrimination at schools, and are deterred from pursuing their dreams, due to a lack of support in career planning.

A triennial survey among multicultural families conducted in 2018 found that such children face difficulties adapting to school life due to multiple reasons, including language barriers, academic struggles and discrimination from peers, as well as teachers.

Gu and Yu shared their stories at a conference attended by Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung Young-ai, Feb. 7, where six women who moved to Korea to marry Korean national husbands, referred to as marriage migrants, and teenagers from multicultural backgrounds were invited to share their opinions about the government's multicultural family policies.

The event was held at Ansan's Multicultural Family Support Center, the largest of its kind in the country. The capital's satellite city of Ansan in Gyeonggi Province is home to about 90,000 residents of foreign nationality.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Chung Young-ai, fourth from left, poses with participants of the conference held at Ansan's Multicultural Family Support Center in Gyeonggi Province, Feb.7. Courtesy of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Funded by the gender equality and family ministry, the support center offers Korean language education, cooking and barista courses, along with computer classes to over 4,000 marriage migrants in the area.

The support programs that focus on helping marriage migrants settle into life here, however, are not so useful for the parents who are raising their teenage children. Like many other parents, those foreign national parents are anxious about their children's academic achievements.

"Foreign parents are very unfamiliar with the school curriculums here and we don't know where we can get the necessary support. Due to limited access to educational programs, I'm constantly worried that my kids may be left behind in class," said Baek Dina, a marriage migrant from Vietnam raising two children aged 15 and 17.

Kim Ji-a, a marriage migrant from China, whose son is entering elementary school this year, said, "I've heard that children should know how to write and read the Korean alphabet before entering elementary school in Korea. So I tried teaching my son myself, but it didn't go well."

But their biggest worries are that their children may become targets of racism or bullying at school.

A government survey conducted in 2021 found that nearly 9 percent of multicultural students in Korea fell victim to abuse at school ― much higher than the 1-percent rate among the total number of students.

To alleviate such concerns, Minister Chung vowed that her ministry would increase tailored support to align with the actual needs of multicultural families.

On Feb. 4, the ministry unveiled a set of measures to increase educational support for students from multicultural backgrounds, as well as to create a learning environment that embraces diversity and inclusion.

Beginning next month, the government will provide career counseling programs at 78 multicultural family support centers across the country.

In addition, children between ages six and 10 will be offered educational programs on basic reading and writing skills at the lower elementary level. The courses, available at 90 multicultural family support centers across the country, would reach about 1,800 children of that age group.

The government will go all-out in its efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in schools, Chung said.

Currently, schools are recommended to include at least two hours of multicultural education per year. The ministry plans to improve both the quality and quantity of these multicultural education sessions, while increasing online training programs for school teachers to raise their awareness of the importance of diversity.

"We will make every effort to create a fully multicultural society where all children are guaranteed equal opportunities," Chung said.