Jeju seeks to host cluster of top foreign universities

Jeju Island has undertaken an ambitious project to build an international education city featuring a cluster of international schools, foreign universities, business centers and tourism.

Modeled on Dubai’s Knowledge Village, the Jeju Global Education City will be home to prestigious foreign universities and programs on the 261,000 square meter site in Seogwipo, a southern Jeju city famous for tourism and business.

A unique cluster of tourism and business on the island is expected to provide tenant schools a chance to share work and collaborate effectively with many hotel chains and companies.

Divided into five zones ― school zone, university zone, culture zone, education center and business zone ― the JGEC will be supported by other facilities that assist its core function of an educational hub in Northeast Asia.

“Jeju will minimize the problems from establishing foreign branch of universities as the city is designed for education,” said Lee Seung-hoon, deputy director of the JGEC office.

“We will help foreigners here in Jeju education city live an easy and comfortable life, especially when dealing with administrative works. We will make it possible for foreigners to handle administrative works in English,” said Lee.

The city is also trying to attract Korean students who want to study overseas and is ready to provide the same academic level and living environment that they expect in English-speaking countries.

Some of the world’s most prestigious schools are expected to open after the city and an international school signed memorandums of understanding in 2009. North London Collegiate School from the U.K. and Korea International School are set to be the first to open their doors first in September this year. Branksome Hall, a girls’ private school in Canada, is scheduled to open its Korea branch in September 2012.

U.S. Noble and Greenough School and St. Albans School, both boarding schools in the U.S., already signed the MOU with the city to open branches there.

Education city officials expect that there will be about 9,000 students from elementary to secondary level with about 1,000 students graduating every year.

According to them, about 1,000 teachers are expected to work in Jeju if international schools with a total capacity of 9,000 students open in the city. And about 125,000 English-speaking teachers are needed over the next 10 years across Asia to meet the demand of international schools in the region. This means that the Jeju education city needs to produce teachers by hosting education departments of foreign universities.

Being at the initial planning stage, the JGEC plans to host 10 to 15 top global universities by 2016 under the goal of offering Korean students a viable alternative to overseas study and attracting foreigners as well to become an educational hub in Asia.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)