The number of foreign teachers at high schools in Seoul is likely to drop due to government budget cuts for next year.The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it plans to cut about 4 billion won ($3.5 million) in personnel expenses for 225 foreign teachers at high schools in the 2012 budget, which has been reviewed by the council’s budget committee since Thursday. If it passes the plenary session of the city council next week, the number of foreign high school teachers will start decreasi

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2011

The number of foreign teachers at high schools in Seoul is likely to be reduced with the government’s budget cuts for next year. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it plans to cut about 40 billion won ($3.5 million) in personnel expenses for 225 foreign teachers at high schools in the 2012 budget, which has been reviewed in the council’s budget committee since Thursday. If it passes the plenary session of the city council next week, the number of foreign high school teachers will st

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2011

Migrant workers are flocking to the southeastern city of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, looking for jobs at small and mid-sized firms. According to the city government, 16,053 foreigners reside there as of October, up 15 percent from last year. Migrant workers account for 90.3 percent, mostly from Southeast Asian countries. The rest are foreign spouses and students. The number of foreign residents in Gimhae has almost tripled since 2005, when just 5,779 foreigners lived there. The greatest n

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2011

Three English villages in Seoul ― the Pungnap, Suyu and Gwanak campuses ― will offer a variety of English camps to elementary and middle school students during the winter break, with different levels and purposes of English study. A total of 18 programs at three campuses will be available to 4,010 students from Dec. 23 to Feb. 4 next year, city officials said. Named “Smart up immersion camp,” the Pungnap campus program features some customized curricula in relation to subjects like math and scie

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2011

A governmental advisory committee suggested Friday that sex offenders should be prohibited from working for social welfare organizations and facilities. The proposal comes in the wake of high-profile sex crimes committed by teachers against disabled students at a special education institution from 2000 to 2005. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday that the special committee on strengthening the transparency of welfare institutions and human rights finalized recommendations to strengthe

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2011

Seoul has won the right to host about 100 major international events by 2018, thanks to its efforts to become one of the top convention cities in the world.City officials said Thursday that the international events would each draw more than 1,000 participants. They include the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, to be held in 2015 with more than 8,000 participants.The fields of the events vary from medicine and mathematics to architecture. Among renowned world

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2011

Korea University students have released a mobile application for multicultural education for children, the school said Monday.A student group named “Dawoolim,” which means harmony among a variety of people, made the application introducing the Japanese holiday Setsubun, a day before the start of spring on the Japanese lunar calendar.“We made the application so that children can learn about other cultures easily with smartphones. I hope they will feel closer to different cultures and be rid of pr

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2011

More foreign entrepreneurs are starting new businesses in Seoul with the help of the Seoul Global Center’s entrepreneurship program. SGC has helped at least 36 foreign entrepreneurs start new businesses, including restaurants, education services, business consulting and an auto parts retailer, since it started the Business Start-up School in 2009. So far, 326 people have taken part in the program. “I was having trouble with establishing a company in Seoul because I didn’t do the foreign investor

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2011

A student who completes a three-year undergraduate course in China or Australia will be recognized as a holder of a bachelor’s degree in Korea under a recently revised agreement on academic recognition in Asia-Pacific countries.The Education Ministry said Sunday that the UNESCO ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 25-26 adopted the revised UNESCO convention on the recognition of qualifications in higher education in Asia-Pacific region. The meeting drew delegates from 28 countries to discuss the

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2011

Half of students in elementary and secondary schools in Seoul fail to interact with foreign assistant teachers as most of them do not understand what the teachers say in English, a study showed on Sunday. The study was based on a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on 43,742 students, parents, English teachers and foreign assistant teachers in elementary and secondary schools in Seoul.The survey found that about 50 percent of students have little interaction with foreign teacher

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2011

By Lee Woo-young Students, parents and teachers in Seoul show high satisfaction with foreign English teachers, believing they contribute to improving students’ English proficiency and confidence, a study showed. The study was based on a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on 43,742 students, parents, English teachers and foreign assistant teachers in elementary and secondary schools in Seoul. The survey showed that 54.2 percent of parents said English classes conducted by native

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2011