Choi Kwang-sun, an elementary school teacher, has received a special award from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in recognition of her devotion to teaching North Korean refugees, the ministry announced.

Choi, 52, from Seongchon Elementary School in Daejeon, has been working hard to improve and develop a curriculum for the young refugees and help them adapt to the new learning environment for the past four years, the ministry said.

She received the award on Wednesday from Education Minister Lee Ju-ho during a special ceremony in Seoul along with seven other recipients.

The ministry has given the awards annually since 2010 to highlight outstanding achievements in mentoring North Korean refugees at local schools in South Korea.

This year the ministry awarded 17 teachers and schools, including Choi and Haanam Elementary School, among 47 recommended candidates from regional education offices across the country.

The ministry, in particular, praised Wednesday the grand-prize recipient Choi’s work as a role model for both educators and officials.

“I found the North Korean children having a difficult time in class, because they usually didn’t have the preschool education that other South Korean peers had,” Choi, who teaches first grade at her school, told The Korea Herald.

She introduced special programs such as the Little Da Vinci project designed to develop the artistic abilities of the young refugees.

“We go museums, learn about music and painting. It’s quite important for them as most of them never had such lessons before coming here,” she said.

Choi noted that more support and interest are needed to ensure continuous learning opportunities for North Korean refugees.

“More young North Korean refugees are coming into our school, and it’s becoming more difficult to teach them. I hope the authorities develop a curriculum through which teachers and schools can help the students,” she added.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)