Gyeonggi English Village in the spotlight
(Published March 29, 2012)

Japan benchmarks Gyeonggi Paju English Village.
 

◇ Japanese delegation discusses the operation of an English village at the Paju Camp of the Gyeonggi English Village.ⓒ Gyeonggi English Village – Paju Camp

Gyeonggi Province English education is receiving more and more attention from overseas on the back of the Korean cultural wave.

On March 26 and 27, delegates from Japan visited the Gyeonggi English Village to observe English language education in a non-English speaking country.

On March 26, seven city council members from Yokohama City and the head of the Seifu High School in Osaka visited the Paju Camp of the Gyeonggi English Village. On the following day, another Japanese delegation composed of 42 members paid a visit to the village, including Takeuchi Kazunori, Vice Speaker of the Saga Prefecture Council, Yoku Toshihiko, the major of Takushi, and Kawasaki Toshihiro, the superintendent of education for Takushi.

The delegates visited the Paju Camp of the Gyeonggi English Village to ascertain the educational progress of 100 primary and junior high school students from Tokyo and Osaka, and also to benchmark the Paju program.

On April 30, another Japanese delegation including Yoshida Haruyo, professor of the Osaka Graduate School of Education, and 14 others are scheduled to visit the village to see how English is being taught in Paju and to discuss college student exchange programs between Korea and Japan.◇ The Japanese superintendent of education in an interview with KBS Radio regarding prospects for cooperation in education at the Gyeonggi English Village Paju Camp.Ⓒ Gyeonggi English Village – Paju Camp

The visits by the Japanese delegations were also structured to discuss the related policies of Gyeonggi Province, which invests heavily in English education.

In particular, the delegation members were interested in adopting field-trip-type English education in their proposed educational reforms for primary and secondary education.

They had discussions about intensive English education at the village, the use of digital textbooks, details of the provincial English education policies and the operation of the English village.

The Japanese delegations and Gyeonggi Province agreed to expand their exchange of information and to work toward the opening of a Korea-Japan youth friendship camp.

Kim Byeong-gil, secretary general of the Gyeonggi English Village Paju Camp, said, “We will attract more foreign students to the village through a variety of exchange programs and enhanced marketing efforts. We expect the international reputation of the village to grow continuously.” 

Ⓒ G-News Plus / Im Se-jeen / sejeenee@kg21.net

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