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Education Ministry to expand Korean language education through support center

Published: 25 Nov. 2024, 15:45

LEE TAE-HEE
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Foreigners write essays and poems during the 30th Annual Korean Language Writing Contest for Foreign Nationals at Yonsei University in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, in October. On Monday, the Ministry of Education announced plans to establish a Korean language education support center. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Education hopes to enhance Korean language learning abroad by opening a Korean language education support center and continuing to offer more TOPIK exams.

The Education Ministry announced plans to establish a Korean language education support center during a ministerial meeting held Monday.

The center will be in charge of creating plans to provide Korean language education worldwide and developing Korean language curricula fit for each country. More training programs for Korean teachers abroad will be created through the center, as well as more opportunities for native Korean teachers to go abroad and teach.

According to the ministry, more elementary and middle schools abroad have been offering Korean classes but have been struggling due to a lack of Korean teachers. A total of 2,154 schools in 47 countries abroad taught Korean as of 2023, compared to 1,928 schools in 43 countries in 2022.

A national budget of 200 million won ($143,000) has been allocated toward establishing and operating the center next year.

Enhancing the efficiency of existing Korean educational programs by creating close partnerships between Korean Education Centers, Korean Cultural Centers and King Sejong Institutes abroad is another goal of the new center.

Apart from plans to establish the new center, the Education Ministry reiterated plans to administer more TOPIK exams in the upcoming years during the meeting.

TOPIK IBT will be admistered six times in 13 countries in 2025, compared to the three tests hosted in six countries this year. The number of TOPIK PBT exams will remain the same, with six tests to be held for both 2024 and 2025.

The ministry plans to create an online platform where people can take the TOPIK test anytime, anywhere. It also intends to make home tests possible by using AI to create test questions, score tests and supervise tests.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]