"Guaranteeing Educational Opportunities for Multicultural and North Korean Defector Students" ... Busan Office of Education to Support Education with a Budget of 2.59 Billion Won

Busan Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Duyul] The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education is investing 2,592,460,000 KRW to support the education of multicultural and North Korean defector students to ensure their educational opportunities and help them grow as democratic citizens.

To provide tailored educational support for multicultural students, the Office of Education is allocating 1.9 billion KRW to add one Korean language class in middle schools, operating a total of 17 classes across 16 schools, and supporting visiting Korean language classrooms and the development of Korean language education programs.

They also plan to support customized mentoring programs for multicultural students, such as university student mentoring to improve basic academic skills and Da-Kkum mentoring to strengthen career and college admission capabilities.

To promote intercultural education, the Office of Education will spend 300 million KRW to conduct multicultural education linked to the curriculum, operate multicultural student and parent clubs, and continuously provide training to enhance teachers’ multicultural education competencies.

This year, to support the integration of multicultural students, new orchestras and Gugak (traditional Korean music) groups will be established in four elementary schools.

Additionally, 300 million KRW will be allocated to operate programs at the Busan Multicultural Education Support Center, including counseling for mid-entry students’ school transfers, Da-Bom interpretation and translation services, world language classes, and bilingual speaking contests.

Superintendent Kim Seok-jun stated, “This year, we will expand and operate programs for tailored educational support for multicultural students and to activate intercultural education among school members. We will continue to provide maximum support so that students can grow into democratic citizens who respect and care for each other.”