Immigrant Children Adjust to Life in Korea
(Published October 17, 2012)

Provincial Government Opens Online Education Courses to Help Multinational Teens

◇ Multicultural e-School Homelearn Website. ⓒ G-News Plus
 

 
Children who immigrate at a young age are usually accompanying parents who have found either a new job or a new spouse in Korea. They become members of what Korea categorizes as “multinational families.”
 
The contents of the “Multicultural Teens Adjusting to Life in Korea” course developed by the center explore the first steps of starting a new life in Korea, entering a new school and Korea’s compulsory education process, related teen organizations, and future careers. The contents have been designed specifically for youngsters preparing to come to Korea or new arrivals in the country.

According to statistics, over 80% of all immigrant children are Korean-Chinese, Chinese, or Vietnamese. With these figures in mind, the courses have been made available in Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese to make it easier to reach the children who need them most.◇ Chinese website and contents for students who are still new to Korean. ⓒ G-News Plus

Multicultural e-School Homelearn, as an online education website geared towards multicultural families, has attracted over 1,000 hits per month since its launch in September of last year.
 
To ensure that everyone is able to access the information they need, the contents are made available to everyone without requiring any registration process. The website exists in Chinese, Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, English, and Korean versions.
 
Volunteer interpreters in each of the seven languages are always on standby to answer calls regarding the Home Learning service for multicultural families. (Tel. +82-1600-0999) The volunteer interpreters’ site is www.bbbkorea.org. The provincial government is working closely with Gyeonggi Province’s multicultural families to secure language and editing support for this program.
 
Multicultural e-School Homelearn Director Jo Jeong-a said, “People who immigrate to Korea at a young age are confronted with all manner of conflicts, partially because they are so impressionable at that age. It is very important that they take the right first steps in order to settle down here in Korea.”
 
The Women’s Development Center won the grand prize at the world’s largest e-learning competition, the IMS Learning Impact Awards 2012, thereby garnering its first award since the launch of its e-learning service on the women’s public education portal Dream Wings of the Online Career Development Center in 2005. The center also established Lifelong Education e-School Homelearn in 2010, followed by Multicultural e-School Homelearn in 2011, based on its experience in the field of online educational contents development and its professional management skills. Over 300,000 users complete the course every year.
 
ⓒ G-News Plus News | Chun Gyeong-nam | chun0403@kg21.net

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