The number of students from multicultural families in South Korea nearly doubled over the last three years, a report showed Saturday, highlighting their need for more educational support.

There were 38,890 multicultural students attending elementary, middle and high schools nationwide this year, compared with 20,174 students in 2008, according to the education ministry report submitted to Rep. Kim Choon-jin of the Democratic Party.

The number of middle school students jumped more than three-fold to 7,735 over the cited period, while the corresponding figure for high school students also nearly tripled to 2,407.

The number of elementary students who have at least one parent of foreign origin reached 28,748, up 71.3 percent from three years earlier, it showed.

According to the ministry data, 8,578 multicultural students were living in Gyeonggi Province, followed by Seoul with 5,951 and South Jeolla Province with 3,236.

Under an educational support program, the government said last month it will open two vocational high schools next year as part of efforts help multicultural students adapt to Korean society and find jobs after graduation. (Yonhap News)