[Q&A] Seoul to Jeonnam 'Rural Study Abroad', Focused on Homestay... "Addressing Safety Issues"

Family Stay Type Faces Practical Difficulties
Low Student Numbers Allow Social Distancing
Strengthened Quarantine Measures Planned

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Elementary and middle school students studying in Seoul will be able to study abroad at rural schools for at least one semester upon application.

On the 7th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it had signed a business agreement with the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education to promote rural study abroad. The rural study abroad program, involving 28 elementary schools and 23 middle schools in Jeonnam, is scheduled to start every March 1 and operate on a semester basis for at least six months. Below is a Q&A session conducted with representatives from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education.

=Is there actual demand for the rural study abroad program?

▶(Yang Young-sik, Director of Educational Innovation, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) In November, we conducted a survey of 16,127 parents of elementary and middle school students. Among them, 1,537 parents left their phone numbers to receive accurate information. We conducted additional phone interviews with 15 respondents, and 11 expressed their intention to participate in rural study abroad.

=Is the program linked with the free semester system or free year system for middle school students?

▶(Director Yang) It is linked. If a student transfers to a school in Jeonnam, they will follow the system of that school.

▶(Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) I think rural study abroad aligns well with the purpose of the free semester system.

=What are the specific cost plans for tuition and rent?

▶(Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education) Elementary and middle schools in Jeonnam are subject to free education. Additionally, starting from March next year, we expect to provide about 800,000 KRW per student for study abroad expenses. According to the agreement with the Seoul Office of Education, one-third will be covered by Jeonnam local governments and the Jeonnam Office of Education, one-third by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and Seoul Nonghyup, and the remainder will be borne by individuals.

=With the prolonged spread of COVID-19, what are the quarantine measures?

▶(Superintendent Jang) Small schools in Jeonnam have fewer students, making social distancing possible and relatively safe. Since April this year, face-to-face classes have been conducted without any confirmed cases. The regional centers also have few people, allowing social distancing. Nevertheless, we will strengthen quarantine measures to protect students.

=What proportions are provided for homestay type, regional center type, and family stay type?

▶(Superintendent Jang) In the survey, 59% of parents preferred the family stay type, but realistically, housing issues are not easy. It takes a lot of time to repair vacant houses to enable living in rural areas. We will actively work on this. For now, the program will focus on the homestay type, where students live with farming families while studying abroad.

=Is there a risk of safety issues such as sexual crimes in the homestay type?

▶(Superintendent Jang) Since the selection is done by the village community rather than individual farms applying, I believe there is a certain level of trust established.

▶(Superintendent Cho) Measures to notify about sex offenders seem necessary. We will review this.

=Can students who fail to adapt to rural life return to Seoul?

▶(Superintendent Jang) Of course, some students may not adapt. Rural life differs from urban life, such as the absence of academies. However, most students have given positive evaluations. Some students who could not adapt to Seoul schools actually improved after coming to rural study abroad.

=What are the future plans?

▶(Superintendent Cho) It is important to establish a model and system. I have discussed rural study abroad with superintendents from Jeonbuk, Jeju, and Gangwon. If we address the issues through exchanges with Jeonnam, the program will expand further.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.