Gimpo City to Begin First-Come, First-Served Registration on November 1
Hands-On Classes with Native English-Speaking Teachers
Additional English Camps in Unyang-dong (Central) and Pungmu-dong (South) Regions
Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Byungsoo) announced that, following its designation as a Special Education Development Zone last year, the city’s first-ever "Special Education Development Zone Native English-Speaking Elementary Camp"-launched this year-will be additionally offered in the central and southern regions of the city due to strong public support.
For the additional English camps, registration for the general admission track will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from 11:00 a.m. on November 1 until 11:00 a.m. on November 7. For the socially disadvantaged track, applications will be accepted from 11:00 a.m. on November 2 until 11:00 a.m. on November 8, also on a first-come, first-served basis.
The camp is open to 66 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary students (including 6 socially disadvantaged students), with 33 students selected from each region. As of the announcement date (October 29), applicants must be residents of Gimpo City. Students and parents wishing to participate should apply online via the designated application link (Google Form) during the specified period.
The English camp will be held in two regions: the central region (Unyang-dong Lifelong Learning Center) and the southern region (Pungmu Youth Culture Center). The camp will run from November 29 to December 7 as a weekend commuter program (four days in total), with sessions lasting five hours per day, totaling 20 hours.
The participation fee is 120,000 won per person. However, to address educational inequality based on income, children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds (recipients of basic livelihood security, those in the next-lowest income bracket, and legally recognized single-parent families) may participate free of charge.
The first English camp, held in August this year, received perfect scores from all participating students in a satisfaction survey, reflecting a high-quality curriculum that combined fun and learning. For the upcoming additional camps, efforts have been made to incorporate even more diverse programs, taking into account feedback from parents.
In addition to the previously offered activities such as play-based physical education and global culture experiences, debate-style classes will be added to the curriculum. By providing an environment where students can naturally acquire and use English through various classes with native-speaking teachers, the camp aims to boost students’ interest and confidence in English.
A Gimpo City official stated, "During the first camp, registration closed within 10 minutes due to high demand, and we received numerous requests to offer additional sessions. Given the strong enthusiasm for education among Gimpo City parents, we will continue to discover and operate diverse educational programs to ensure that Gimpo City students receive an excellent education."
Meanwhile, since its designation as a Special Education Development Zone, Gimpo City has been establishing itself as a premier education city by offering a range of global competency enhancement programs tailored to the region, including the Native English-Speaking Elementary Camp, the Native Teacher Program at Care Centers, and the Global Sensibility ON Talk Concert.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
