| Children eat lunch at a kindergarten in Gwangju's Koryoin Village, March 29. About 40 children are enrolled at the center as of March. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Lee Hae-rin
A growing number of ethnic Koreans from Ukraine are settling in the southwestern city of Gwangju this year after Russia began its invasion of their country earlier this year. Their migration has led to a need for public schools to accommodate the children of the new settlers.
Rep. Kwon Eun-hee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), who is also a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, said Monday that she plans to table a bill to establish a Koryoin school to provide young Koryoin migrants a safer and more stable learning environment. Koryoin refers to ethnic Koreans from post-Soviet states.
According to reports Kwon received from the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, the area has been seeing a growing number of Koryoin migrants in recent years, resulting in higher demand for Korean language education.
In 2016 and 2017, the city's Gwangsan District, which houses a Koryoin Village, had only two classes of Koryoin students in all elementary schools combined. However, the figure doubled by 2017 and an additional class was created respectively in kindergarten, elementary and high school this year. Next year, eight more classes will open ― one at a kindergarten, four at elementary schools, two at middle schools and one at a high school.
The number of students enrolled in these classes is also on the rise. In April, a total of 160 students were registered in Korean language classes at four elementary schools and a kindergarten combined. By August, the number increased by 27 percent to 204.
Rep. Kwon said that most of these students are fourth-generation Koryoin who have migrated to Korea recently to escape the war between Ukraine and Russia and their number is expected to continue to grow.
However, the current Korean language education system lacks the resources to meet their growing demands. Elementary school students ranging from first to sixth grade are often grouped together in the same classroom despite their differing education levels, and teachers have difficulties communicating with Koryoin students who speak mostly the languages of their home countries, the lawmaker said.
The central and local governments should seek solutions to improve Korean language education for the multicultural population and assist their integration in the country, Kwon said.