A Manipuri father and son duo at Korean education ambience

James Khangenbam *

Nahakpam Leisemba Mangang

"As soon as I reach school, we are allowed to play for a few minutes on a daily basis. I also watch Disney movies in Korean language at school. I miss my Korean friends, but I do not miss Korea. I learned to speak the English language at home. In Grade 1, I started speaking in the Korean language," are a few comments that Nahakpam Leisemba Mangang would openly chat.

He is quite attracted to his hometown and loves to travel around Loktak Lake. Eromba and Kangsoi are his favorite Manipuri traditional meals. In Korea, he has his lunch at school. His father, Nahakpam Bidhan, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Distribution Management at Tongmyong University.

Leisemba is currently in the third grade at Hyohaeng Elementary School. In an exclusive interview with Bidhan, he talks about his son's education and the education system in South Korea.

"Although there are a few international schools in South Korea, it is difficult to find private schools, and it is not common to send students to them. There is a system in place where parents need to enroll their children in the nearest government school. Leisemba's school is just a five-minute walk away.

According to the system, he could not be admitted to a far-off government school of individual choice. The education system is divided into three parts: elementary school, middle school, and high school. After finishing sixth grade, students move to middle school for three years, and in 10th grade, they shift to high school.

In elementary schools, mathematics is taught through reasoning, applied knowledge, and logic, in addition to simple arithmetic numerical calculations. Etiquette and manners are also taught in the initial year of school, and the focus shifts to academic books from grade 3 onwards.

The schools conduct regular parent counseling sessions. A file is maintained for each student, and the class teacher is responsible for all the classes for each grade during elementary school, so the teacher knows each student closely.

On the health front, parents and students are notified in advance about the menu to be served during school days for their children. The school encourages students to drink milk regularly and therefore has a facility to subscribe to milk supply in school.

They provide nutritious food, and the vegetables and meat are listed in full detail, including their countries of import. Lunch is provided free of cost in school until high school. If a student misses a day, the school will call the parents and inquire about the reason for the absence.

A doctor's certificate is required to take leave from school. Personality and IQ tests are also conducted annually, with mathematics being the main focus."

Nahakpam Bidhan

To encourage and instill volunteerism in students, the Korean government has opened many volunteer programs. These programs allow students to enroll as volunteers and earn volunteer hours. As a volunteer, students can select the type of tasks they want to perform, such as managing events, guiding guests, and cleaning up after concerts.

Bidhan believes that the Korean language is spoken softly and teaches students manners. He explains that there is a culture in Korean homes where children properly wish their parents before leaving for school and before having food.

Another interesting experience he shared is that most of his higher education students do not ask questions in class because they think they might disturb the class. Instead, they come to ask their questions after class or visit the professor's office. Bidhan also finds that Koreans have a good culture of reading in public libraries or study cafes.

Bidhan was recently recommended for “Suwon City Foreigner Support Policy Committee” and will serve for 2 years in giving suggestions and advice related to the welfare of foreigners living in Suwon. The committee was formed under the Suwon City Hall.

In a recently launched book based on Foreigners living in South Korea by Asia Development Foundation, Bidhan and his family's story was also published where he shares his journey to Korea and experience in Korea and what are his futures plans to improve relation between India and South Korea.