MONGOLIAN KIDS GET THEIR OWN PLACE TO LEARN

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Children of Mongolian migrant workers in Korea study in class at the International Mongolia School in southeastern Seoul, says news published at Korea JoongAng Daily website on Monday. The school was founded by a Korean pastor and his wife who worried about the lack of public education access for migrant workers’ children in Korea. The students, neatly turned out in sky-blue uniforms, chant from their textbooks. A typical classroom scene in Korea - except that the classroom is located in a former small apartment building. Some students in higher grades learn inside shipping containers next to the school. There are no playgrounds. This is a school for children of migrant workers from Mongolia. Located in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, the International Mongolia School is the first and only Mongolian school accredited by both the Korean and Mongolian governments. It offers primary and secondary education in grades one through nine for 85 Mongolian kids. Its curriculum is the same as for a school in Mongolia, and classes are taught in Mongolian, although students also take Korean-language classes seven times a week. Lee Gang-ae, the school’s principal, emphasizes that teaching Korean is part of her efforts to encourage the children to learn more about their host country. “Speaking Korean can be a great asset to each student and it can also have positive effects on Korea in the future. Even if the kids’ stays here are temporary, they will carry the experience with them wherever they live in the future.” The school was founded by Lee and Pastor Yoo Hae-guen, a married couple that has long supported migrant workers from different countries. “Unlike other migrant workers, Mongolian parents almost always take their children wherever they go,” says Lee. “In Mongolia, it’s important for families to stay together, which I believe is related to their nomadic roots.” The full article is accessible at koreajoongangdaily.joins.com.