COOPERATION

Foreign Relations and Cooperation in 2023

In recent years, the Metropolitan Education Department has expanded its foreign relations with cities from both developed and neighboring countries, such as Moscow, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude in the Russian Federation; Beijing and Hohhot in China; Seoul in South Korea; British Columbia in Canada; and Stockholm in Sweden. We are collaborating with educational institutions in these cities to expand cooperation in education, exchange knowledge, and implement teacher-student exchange programs.

Since 2009, in cooperation with the Seoul Education Department, we have organized annual training programs aimed at enhancing the skills of school and kindergarten administrators and information technology (IT) teachers. Due to the global spread of COVID-19, the past 2 years of this program were conducted remotely. In 2023, two specialists and 14 IT teachers from general education schools participated in these trainings and improved their professional skills.

Additionally, we are working to improve the quality and accessibility of education, increase teacher competency, and enhance the learning environment through memoranda of cooperation with various governmental and non-governmental organizations such as Save the Children Japan, Good Neighbors NGO, Raphael International, and the Geoje Big Dragon Rotary Club.

As a result of these collaborations, from 2017 to 2023, more than 700 teachers and administrators have participated in experiential learning and professional development training in over 10 developed countries.

Memorandum of Understanding:

1.    Under the memorandum of understanding between the Governor's Office of the Capital City and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 2 specialists and 14 teachers received IT training between May 15-25, 2023. As part of this agreement, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also provided equipment to enhance the information technology infrastructure of our general education schools.

Collaboration with Foreign Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations:

1.    On January 27, 2021, the Metropolitan Education Department and the British Columbia Council for International Education in Canada signed a memorandum of understanding. In 2023, an online meeting took place to discuss the initiation of a teacher-student exchange program, during which ideas and proposals for each activity were shared.

2.    In collaboration with the Save the Children program office in Mongolia, we are implementing the “Protecting Girls from Violence and Exploitation” project. The goal of this project is to protect girls aged 12-18 in Ulaanbaatar’s Bayangol, Bayanzurkh, Songinokhairkhan, Sukhbaatar, and Chingeltei districts from violence and exploitation stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, through health, child protection, and educational services.

3.    As part of this project, training on "Victim-centered services based on mental trauma" was conducted from January 18-26, 2023, for administrators and teachers of 15 secondary schools. This training empowered participants with methodologies to provide mental trauma-based services and increased awareness and understanding of gender-based violence among school children and adolescents.