by Oh Jooyean
Published 16 Apr.2026 12:00(KST)
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will provide information and educational support to the guardians of students from immigrant backgrounds regarding various aspects of school life in Korea.
On April 16, the Office announced the launch of the "Dagam Academy," a school orientation program designed to help parents of students with immigrant backgrounds-including returnees and foreigners-better understand the Korean school system and gain confidence in raising their children.
According to the "2024 National Multicultural Family Survey" conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, guardians with immigrant backgrounds cited a lack of academic, advancement, and career information (34.5%), as well as difficulties with academic guidance and management (32.0%), as the biggest challenges in raising their children. In addition, some parents have difficulty understanding how to participate in school activities due to differences in educational culture from their home countries, or perceive that education should be centered solely on schools, which increases the need for support in communication between schools and families.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education views this not as an individual issue for guardians, but as a structural problem stemming from a lack of information and communication support connecting schools and families. The Office will provide information on the Korean school system to guardians of students from immigrant backgrounds through multicultural education support centers and similar channels.
This program will run about 10 times from this month through December, with sessions held once a month on Saturdays, organized by elementary and secondary school levels. For guardians of students transferring or newly enrolling during the semester, schools will require their participation; other interested guardians may also join, helping support early adaptation to school life. The main curriculum includes: ▲Understanding the overall school curriculum and academic administration ▲Basic guidance for learning and academic management practices at home ▲Understanding student protection and guidance, including school violence and child abuse prevention ▲Parent communication, parenting support, and information on school and community educational resources.
During in-person sessions, an AI-based real-time simultaneous interpretation service will be used to support participation and understanding among guardians from various language backgrounds.
Additionally, to strengthen the educational capacity of guardians with immigrant backgrounds and help them understand the Korean education system, a multilingual educational newsletter, "Dagam Newsletter," will be published monthly in a total of 16 languages, with support for its use both at school and at home.
The Parent Support Center will also operate the "Visiting Counseling Service for Immigrant Parents" to provide emotional support and strengthen parenting skills. Meanwhile, the educational welfare centers in areas with high concentrations of students from immigrant backgrounds will enhance their support roles for these students.
Kim Chunhong, Acting Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "We will create an educational environment where schools and guardians raise children together, and actively support the stable growth and adaptation of students from immigrant backgrounds."
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