Jeju Global Education City Inaugurated
CNN and other media covered the inauguration last week of a new English Education City on the island province of Jeju. The central idea of the project is to create a city where elementary, middle and high schools—and eventually universities–teach all of their courses in English. Top-notch schools from outside Korea are being invited to participate in the project. One of the first is Britain’s North London Collegiate School.
The English Education City aims to reduce the need for Korean families to send their children oveseas for an English-language education. Jeju officials say annual tuition will be somewhere between U.S. $3,100 and U.S. $4,700 or about half the amount South Korean parents would be paying to send their children overseas.
The English language market in Korea has already resulted in 21 “English Villages” around the country. Next month, an English village capable of schooling some 5,000 children will open in the southern city of Keoje. Although more such projects are popping up, the Jeju Global Education City is by far the most ambitious.