Songpa-gu, Gwangjin-gu, Yongsan-gu, etc. Operate Native English Classes for Elementary Students During Summer Vacation... Vulnerable Children to Receive Free Lessons
Summer vacation is approaching.
Each autonomous district in Seoul operates native English camps for elementary school students during the summer vacation.
In particular, it is expected to be a great opportunity for elementary students from low-income families to learn native English for free.
Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that it will operate a ‘Native English Camp’ aimed at 1st and 2nd graders in elementary school to improve their English skills during the summer vacation.
Currently, public education starts English education from the 3rd grade of elementary school. Therefore, 1st and 2nd graders have to rely on private education if they need English education.
Accordingly, the district planned an English camp where students can communicate with native speakers during summer vacation to fill the gap in public English education for 1st and 2nd graders.
This year’s native English camp will be held in cooperation with Cheongdam Afterschool, targeting 1st and 2nd graders, running twice a week for 8 weeks from July 2 to August 27. The tuition fee is very affordable at 60,000 KRW including textbook fees, and discounts are also provided for multicultural and large families.
Classes will be divided into two levels, beginner and intermediate, at Songpa Run Education Centers (Head, Wirye, Pungnap), offering special lectures tailored to each level. The program is designed to make learning English fun through various experiential activities such as games and songs.
The beginner class is a basic conversation course where students learn the alphabet and basic vocabulary, with English learning through art activities like drawing and making, as well as songs and games. The intermediate class focuses on basic reading skills, emphasizing the ability to speak in sentences through listening, writing, and speaking practice with short stories.
Additionally, a weekly world culture experience program will be conducted to indirectly experience the history and culture of various countries while learning English, and in the last week, a Market Day will be held to provide an opportunity to use the English conversation skills learned so far.
All classes in the camp are conducted by native speakers who hold at least a bachelor’s degree from English-speaking countries and have extensive experience in junior English education. Korean assistant instructors are also assigned to ensure smooth and safe classes.
Applications for participation will be accepted from 10 a.m. on June 19 through the Songpa Run website. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis for 120 students. For more details, contact the Education Cooperation Division of Songpa-gu Office.
Previously, the district has been focusing on filling the gap in public English education by promoting various English education support projects. Since last year, it has directly operated ‘Native English Classes’ for daycare centers and kindergartens, receiving enthusiastic responses in the educational field. It is also working to reduce private education costs and provide equal opportunities for English education through programs such as ‘Native Online English Classes.’
Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Following the operation of the city’s first ‘Native English Class,’ we will create a seamless English education environment by adding a native English camp for lower elementary students, focusing on building global foundational competencies.” He added, “We will continue to implement Songpa-gu’s unique education policies that support children’s English learning and proper growth.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) is operating the ‘2024 Summer Vacation English Camp’ for 4th to 6th graders in elementary school who are interested in improving their English skills.
The district runs the summer vacation English camp every year to provide elementary students with opportunities to learn English without going abroad by utilizing excellent local educational resources, thereby contributing to reducing private education costs.
The English camp will be held for 10 days from August 1 to 14, excluding weekends, at Konkuk University Language Education Center, divided into morning and afternoon classes. Native teachers from Konkuk University will conduct the classes, and participating students will receive customized lessons according to their level after placement tests.
The curriculum includes basic English learning such as reading and speaking, as well as various experiential activities for rapid language skill improvement, including group presentations, essay writing, and comic creation.
The target participants are about 200 students in 4th to 6th grade who either reside in Gwangjin-gu or attend elementary schools in Gwangjin-gu. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from the 24th to the 30th via the Gwangjin-gu Office website under Education → Gwangjin Education → Notices.
The participation fee is 130,000 KRW, with the district subsidizing 240,000 KRW out of the total tuition fee of 370,000 KRW. However, low-income families can receive full tuition support within 10% of the participants.
Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “We have prepared a more substantial summer vacation English camp so that elementary students can learn English with native teachers and develop an interest in language.” He added, “We hope many will show interest and participate in this English camp where our children can improve their English skills at an affordable cost.”
Yongsan-gu, Seoul (Mayor Park Hee-young) will operate the ‘2024 Academic Year Summer Vacation Children’s English Camp’ from July 22 in collaboration with TESOL at Sookmyung Women’s University Graduate School of Special Education.
This year’s summer vacation English camp will run for 2 weeks (excluding weekends, 6 hours per day) for 1st and 2nd graders from July 29 to August 9, and for 3 weeks (excluding weekends, 7 hours per day) for 3rd to 6th graders from July 22 to August 9.
The camp will be operated by Sookmyung Women’s University TESOL, a specialized English education institution, with a science theme. It will be an experiential program where students are naturally exposed to English through practical exercises and team activities with native speakers.
The recruitment target is 140 students registered as residents of Yongsan-gu as of the application date: 20 students for 1st and 2nd grades (including 3 low-income students) and 120 students for 3rd to 6th grades (including 18 low-income students). Foreigners, overseas Koreans, and foreign nationals are excluded.
Applications will be accepted online through the Yongsan-gu Education Comprehensive Portal from 10 a.m. on the 17th to 4 p.m. on the 26th of this month. Participants will be selected by lottery, and the announcement and individual notifications will be made at 2 p.m. on July 2.
The participation fee is 840,000 KRW per person for 1st and 2nd graders and 1,300,000 KRW per person for 3rd to 6th graders, but the district subsidizes half the cost, making it 420,000 KRW for 1st and 2nd graders and 650,000 KRW for 3rd to 6th graders.
Additionally, families with two or more children receive an extra 100,000 KRW discount. Furthermore, the district fully supports the cost for basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty groups, and low-income single-parent families.
The English camp has been highly praised by students and parents as a program that offers high-quality English education while reducing the burden of private education costs.
Therefore, the district is expanding the program this year to guarantee participation opportunities for more students.
Previously, the children’s English camp was held for 2 weeks targeting 3rd to 6th graders. Starting this year, a class for 1st and 2nd graders has been added, and the duration for 3rd to 6th graders has been extended from 2 weeks to 3 weeks.
Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “I hope this English camp with native speakers will give students the chance to develop interest and confidence in English.” He added, “We will continue to actively support programs that reduce educational disparities and alleviate the burden of private education costs.”
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