Muju County in Jeollabuk-do is significantly enhancing its support for bilingual education for children from multicultural families in the region, striving to nurture global talent. This initiative aims to help children from multicultural families understand their parents' cultural backgrounds and, furthermore, serve as a bridge connecting Korean society with the world.
Customized Bilingual Programs Strengthen Identity and Capabilities
The Muju County Family Center offers various language education programs for children from multicultural families, including Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Khmer. These programs go beyond simple language acquisition, employing customized approaches such as △bilingual parent coaching, △parent-child interaction programs, △bilingual utilization programs, and △family coaching. This contributes to language development and strengthens family bonds. Such integrated education helps children establish their identity and grow based on a deep understanding of both cultures.
Looking at the detailed programs, Tagalog education, the official language of the Philippines, was successfully completed over 27 sessions from April to early July. Additionally, during the summer vacation period from July 21 to September 5, online learning classes will be operated for both lower and upper elementary grades to expand participation opportunities.
Vietnamese language education is particularly tailored by age. The preschool class, which began on June 28, is ongoing until October 11 for five preschool-aged children. The beginner class started in April and concluded in early July. The reading and writing class runs from April 5 to August 2, and the online learning class, divided into lower and upper elementary grades, is ongoing from June 16 to August 2. This support ensures that children from multicultural families receive systematic language education even before entering school age, allowing them to build a solid foundation in language skills.
Cambodian Khmer language education is conducted online and will run until August 1 for two children from Khmer-speaking families residing in Muju County. This online education method increases accessibility, helping more children from multicultural families benefit from language education.
Importance of Bilingual Education and Future Vision
Kim Sung-ok, head of Muju County's Population Vitality Division, emphasized, "Bilingual ability is extremely important for children from multicultural families to establish their identity and grow into global talents." She added, "We will continue to do our best to develop and support customized educational programs that consider the characteristics of multicultural families." Bilingual ability is not merely a means of communication; it plays a crucial role in fostering the ability to understand and embrace cultural diversity. This will positively influence the future growth of children from multicultural families as key players in global society.
Comprehensive Support System for Multicultural Families
Currently, 238 multicultural families reside in Muju County, and in addition to bilingual education, Muju County provides various comprehensive services to support their stable settlement and healthy family life. This year, a total of approximately 1.153 billion won has been invested to actively promote multicultural family support projects, including △translation and interpretation services for marriage immigrants, △language development support for children of multicultural families, and △the "On-Gajok Bodeum" (Embracing All Families) project. These efforts establish a foundation for multicultural family members to quickly adapt and communicate within Korean society.
The Muju County Family Center oversees multicultural family support projects with a total of 17 specialized personnel, including social workers, family counselors, case managers, translation/interpretation support staff, and bilingual coaches. These professionals provide close support to help multicultural families settle stably in the community and their children grow into healthy members of society, serving as strong pillars of support for them. Muju County's continuous efforts are expected to significantly contribute to multicultural families establishing themselves as important members of our society and to creating a society where diversity is respected.
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