South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province will open an international school next year with an aim to attract more foreign direct investment by providing an improved accommodating environment for foreign residents. 

In partnership with the city of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province said it held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Gyeonggi Swan International School (GSIS) on Nov. 29 with around 400 dignitaries from government, foreign companies, embassies and economic groups in attendance. 

The GSIS to be located on 10,000 pyeong of land in Suwon, 46 kilometers south of Seoul, will run elementary, middle and high school courses. One pyeong equals 3.3 square meters. The school will open its door in September 2006, the province said. 

Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and College (WASC), the international school is intended to provide quality education to foreign students with Advance Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate aimed at helping them get higher education overseas after graduation. 

The U.S.-based FWL will conduct the design of the school buildings in a way to maximize convenience of foreign students staying far from their home countries and harmonizing the environment and school life, the province said. 

With a total of 25 billion won in investment, the school will boast various convenience facilities such as special classrooms, a library, a gymnasium and an auditorium, along with a 64-room dormitory for those who have to commute a long distance. 

The GSIS will be run by Thomas J. Penland, president of an international school located in the central city of Daejeon, who has been acclaimed for his experience and know-how in effectively managing international education institutes. 

For impartial school management, a council will be formed with the participation of representatives of Gyeonggi Province, Suwon and the school itself. 

The number of entrants will be around 260 for 13 classes, but it will increase to as many as 520 down the road. At first, the school will provide English-based curriculum, which later will be expanded to other languages including German and Japanese. 

All foreigners and South Koreans whose parents have stayed overseas for more than five years will be eligible to enter the international school. But the number of Korean students will be limited to 25 percent of the total entrants in a way to guarantee the “foreigner-oriented” school environment. 

To secure high-quality teachers and promote the school overseas, Gyeonggi Province and Suwon plan to organize job fairs in New Zealand and Australia later this year and others in the United States and Canada during February in 2006.