International Students Serve as One-Day Instructors at 170 Gyeongbuk Schools... Popular Program in Its 11th Year

"Fostering Global Citizenship"
Yeungnam University, Daegu Catholic University, and Kyungpook National University Participate

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on May 12 that it has selected a total of 170 elementary, middle, and high schools in the province as participants in the "2025 Regional Resource-Linked Global Understanding Education Project."

This project is a program designed to promote understanding of world cultures and diversity by utilizing international students enrolled at universities in the Gyeongbuk region as instructors. It has been operated annually since 2014, and among all metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide, only the Gyeongbuk Office of Education implements it independently.

A British international student is giving a lecture at Gyeongsan Middle School.

Gyeongbuk is the region with the third largest number of universities in Korea, following Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. This year's project, which actively utilizes such regional resources, is being carried out in cooperation with three universities: Kyungpook National University (formerly Andong National University), Daegu Catholic University, and Yeungnam University.

Each school can apply up to two times per year, and the total number of class hours will be flexibly adjusted according to the circumstances of the schools and universities involved.

Last year, classes were also operated in cooperation with the same three universities at 164 schools in the province. The program received particularly positive feedback from schools in areas with few opportunities to interact with foreigners and from schools with a high proportion of students from migrant backgrounds.

The classes focus on experiential, student-centered activities under themes such as respect for the diversity and differences of world cultures. The content of the classes is customized through consultation between the participating schools and universities.

According to a satisfaction survey conducted by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, 98% of participating schools expressed satisfaction with the program, reflecting a very high level of approval. This is attributed to the student-centered approach, rather than traditional lecture-style classes.

The classes are provided completely free of charge, with no additional instructor fees or material costs for the schools, which reduces administrative and budgetary burdens and has contributed to the program's popularity.

In addition, international students who participated as instructors also reported a very high level of satisfaction. Many of the students who took part last year have expressed a desire to participate again this year, and the program is having a positive impact on exchanges and mutual understanding between local universities and international students.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, stated, "Global citizenship is an essential competency for our children as they prepare for the future society," and added, "This project, in which international students at local universities directly introduce their own cultures, is a highly meaningful activity. We will actively support its expansion so that it can be implemented at even more schools in the future."