Daejeon, South Korea – The Daejeon Metropolitan City Office of Education is embarking on a collaborative endeavor with Singapore to amplify international exchanges centered on enduring joint instructional initiatives within middle school environments.

The city’s education governing body has established a robust annual program, in conjunction with the APEC Education Cooperation Center, leveraging the jointly developed CONURI (Connecting Networks for Understanding and Respecting each other's Internationality) platform. This initiative facilitates online and digital collaborative learning experiences by strategically pairing elementary, middle, and high schools across Daejeon with their counterparts in various APEC member nations.

Beyond virtual interactions, the office is committed to fostering tangible connections through the augmentation of reciprocal visits between partner institutions, thereby nurturing a sustainable international exchange school network.

Singapore’s Orchid Park Secondary School has emerged as a key partner in this endeavor. Since the preceding year, the institution has actively engaged in regular joint classes with students from Daejeon Donghwa Middle School and Daejeon Samcheon Middle School, utilizing digital and online video conferencing platforms to bridge geographical distances and foster cross-cultural learning.

Demonstrating a growing commitment to international educational partnerships, the number of Daejeon schools participating in the CONURI overseas class exchange program has witnessed a significant surge. This year, 31 elementary, middle, and high schools will partake in the initiative, a notable increase from the 22 schools that participated in the previous year. Each participating school is slated to receive financial support ranging from 800,000 to 1,000,000 KRW to facilitate these international collaborations.

On the 22nd of April, the Daejeon Education Office hosted a delegation comprising the principal and esteemed faculty members from Singapore’s Orchid Park Secondary School. This pivotal meeting served as a platform for in-depth discussions concerning face-to-face exchange opportunities with global joint class exchange partner schools and strategies for the sustained expansion of these collaborative relationships.

Prior to the formal discussions, the visiting Singaporean delegation undertook insightful visits to their partner schools in Daejeon. These visits provided an invaluable opportunity to observe the educational infrastructure and diverse curricula implemented within the Daejeon school system. Furthermore, the delegation engaged in constructive dialogues regarding the upcoming visit of 35 Singaporean students to Daejeon in October, focusing on logistical arrangements for face-to-face activities and exploring avenues for the further enrichment of joint instructional exchanges.

Mr. Cho Jin-hyung, the Director of Secondary Education at the Daejeon Metropolitan City Office of Education, underscored the strategic vision behind these initiatives. “Our aim is to move beyond ephemeral, event-driven international exchanges and instead cultivate sustainable collaborations at the grassroots level of our schools,” stated Director Cho. He further affirmed the office’s unwavering commitment to “providing comprehensive support to ensure that our students within the public education system are empowered to develop into globally astute leaders who will confidently navigate and shape the future.” This concerted effort between the Daejeon Education Office and its international partners signifies a significant stride towards fostering a more interconnected and globally aware educational landscape for students in the region.