S. Korea to fund education for multicultural families

By Kim Boram

SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Thursday it will spend 70 billion won (US$ 50 million) over the next four years to provide better education programs for children from multicultural families.

Multi-ethnic families, with parents of different nationalities and their
children, have been rising in number in recent years due to inter-racial
marriages.
Marriages between Koreans and non-Koreans went up from 15,000 in 1996 to 50,000
in 2006, which accounts for 12 percent of all marriages in the country, according
to the National Statistical Office.
The Education Ministry, announcing the plan intended to focus on expanding mutual
understanding of language and culture, said special teachers selected by the
government will provide educational programs on language and relationships for
pre-school children born in these families.
Elementary school students can choose language trainings and mentoring services
in after-school classes.
The ministry will also run classes to teach Korean language and culture to
parents who experience difficulties because of communication problems and
cultural differences. The parents, in turn, will have opportunities to introduce
their homeland culture and custom to Korean students.
Mixed-race students in primary and secondary schools total at 20,180 this year,
but they have language problems because their parents speak poor Korean, the
ministry said.
"Through various educational programs for students and parents of multicultural
families, we can bridge the cultural and language gap and help them settle well
in Korean society," said the ministry statement.