12 May 2019
Australian Principals’ Korean Study Tour
In the school holidays, I had the opportunity to participate in an educational study tour of South Korea, offered by the Korean Education Centre in Sydney and supported by the Department of Education. I went with 18 other primary and high school Principals and school leaders. We visited different educational settings, including primary schools, high schools, universities and Seoul and Busan Education Offices.
We were able to hear about how the South Korean education system operates and how it compares to the Australian system. I was able to visit Year 5 and Year 11 classrooms and talk to the students and teachers about their schools.
There were also lots of opportunities to participate in cultural activities, including paper craft (hanji), hanbok dressing up, a cooking class, museums, palaces, a visit to the main shopping districts and lots of delicious Korean meals. A highlight was a visit to the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea.
Through this experience I have gained further insight into Korean culture, language and education. It has also been a great opportunity to talk with other school leaders about their school programs within NSW. I am looking forward to increasing our students’ awareness and understanding of Korea, through establishing a ‘sister school’ program, introducing a Korean cultural studies elective for Kids Curriculum and linking with some Korean Community Language teachers to support our Korean native speakers.
