– Children of Multi-cultural Families will Improve Their Basic Educational Performance through the Mentoring System and Improve Their Understanding of Korean Culture through Field Trips –

Gyeonggi Province will operate a “Multi-Cultural Neighborhood Program”. Recently, a sharp increase in the number of students from multi-cultural families has been observed as the number of marriage-related immigrants and immigrant workers continuously increases. The program aims to help students from multi-cultural families overcome language problems, improve their understanding of Korean culture, and more easily adjust to school life by improving their educational performance.

As of February 2008, the total number of students from multi-cultural families in Gyeonggi Province was 2,870, which includes 2,283 primary school students, 460 middle school students, and 127 high school students. The “Multi-Cultural Neighborhood Program” will mainly target young students from multi-cultural families. It will consist of sessions to improve basic educational performance, including extra reading, writing and mathematics classes as well as a range of field trip programs that allow students to experience traditional Korean culture, visit historic sites, and learn about local ecosystems. Former teachers, in–field instructors, and educational experts will serve as mentors, and students will be organized in groups of five to seven. The pilot program will be operated by 90 primary and middle schools in the 22 cities and guns that applied for the program.

Gyeonggi Province plans to improve recognition of and respect for multi-cultural families among Gyeonggi citizens, help children from multi-cultural families understand and adjust to Korean culture themselves more easily, and improve the basic educational performance of students from multi-cultural families.

The province also aims to provide continuous support for children from multi-cultural families, and will make diverse efforts to provide and expand support for them in cooperation with related organizations.