| Parents and students participate in an orientation session at an elementary school in Seoul in this Jan. 6 photo. Joint press corps |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The local education office of Gyeonggi Province has developed and distributed educational guidance materials in eight languages to help elementary schoolchildren from multicultural families adapt to school life, and their parents better understand Korea's school system.
The Gyeonggido Office of Education said, Thursday, it has also made two videos, one for students and the other for parents, in eight languages ― Korean, English, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai and Tagalog.
The videos reflect opinions from elementary schools that students and parents of multicultural families in the early stages of their stay here often have difficulties understanding the Korean school system and various administrative procedures.
| A captured image of video material for parents of multicultural families / Courtesy of Gyeonggido Office of Education |
The video clip for parents includes the education and school system in Korea, such as attendance and compulsory education periods, as well as how they can use school banking and what vaccines students need to get before admission.
Parents can also learn how to get permission for leave for health problems, short family trips, and long-term travel to the parents' home countries.
"In addition to the video material distributed this time, we will provide more detailed information by reflecting demand from students and parents from multicultural families. We will also develop similar material for middle school students within this year to provide customized support for all school ages," an official from the provincial education office said.
The video clips are available on the education office's website, blog, and YouTube channel.