South Korea plans ¡®ghettoised¡¯ university courses for foreign students

South Korea¡¯s Ministry of Education has been accused of encouraging universities to launch ¡°ghettoised¡± courses for foreign students after it announced a new strategy to achieve its goal of attracting 200,000 overseas students by 2023.

The ministry said that it would push to revise 바카라사이트 higher education law to allow universities and colleges in 바카라사이트 country to create consisting of only foreign students, according to The Korea Herald. These would be in fields in which South Korea is a high achiever, such as shipping and information technology.

As part of 바카라사이트 plans, 바카라사이트 ministry said that more state-run foreign student service centres would be set up to support international students during 바카라사이트ir stay, and regional dormitories housing students from a number of universities in a particular area would be built.

The ministry told The Korea Herald that it is still negotiating with 바카라사이트 Ministry of Strategy and Finance on 바카라사이트 budget for 바카라사이트 measures, but that this will be finalised next month.

The proposals are designed to help 바카라사이트 government achieve its target of increasing 바카라사이트 proportion of international students among 바카라사이트 general student population to 5 per cent by 2023, up from 2 per cent in 2014, and to increase foreign student spending from 796 billion won (?432 million) to 1.5 trillion won by 2020.

Government data show that 바카라사이트 number of international students in South Korea has declined since 2011, when it peaked at 89,537. There were 84,891 foreign students in 바카라사이트 country last year, dropping from 85,923 in 2013.

However, 바카라사이트 plan for specific courses for foreign students has received criticism from leading academics in international education who argued that international students should integrate with, not be isolated from, domestic students.

Philip Altbach, director of 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, said that 바카라사이트 proposal ¡°flies in 바카라사이트 face of current thinking about effective international education policy¡± and is ¡°not only unlikely to succeed but is bad policy¡±.

¡°If South Korea is planning on earning significant income from international enrolment, it is not at all assured that sufficient numbers will be attracted, and, in fact, recent trends are down,¡± he said.

¡°More importantly, setting up ¡®ghettoised¡¯ programmes for foreigners flies in 바카라사이트 face of current thinking about effective international education policy. ?

¡°The idea is to ensure that international students have a chance to interact with domestic students so that mutual learning can take place.¡±

He added that internationalisation, including incoming overseas student numbers, is one of 바카라사이트 metrics for many world university rankings, suggesting that 바카라사이트 proposals are in part driven by a desire for South Korea to achieve a higher score in league tables.

Allan Goodman, president of 바카라사이트 Institute of International Education, said that it is important that institutions ¡°allow access to 바카라사이트 wider offerings of 바카라사이트 university for those international students fluent enough in 바카라사이트 local language to do so¡±.

However, he added that 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education has also introduced a number of effective initiatives to allow international students to take part in South Korean higher education, including ¡°offering scholarships and increasing 바카라사이트 number of courses taught in English, improving study and living conditions for foreign students, building efficient administrative support systems, and offering long- and short-term exchange programmes¡±.

¡°Enrolling international students, as 바카라사이트 US?has already experienced, has a positive impact on 바카라사이트 domestic students,?in?broadening 바카라사이트?classroom dialogue and internationalising 바카라사이트 campus community,¡± he said.

Gerard Postiglione, director of 바카라사이트 Wah Ching Centre of Research on Education in China at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong, said that South Korea¡¯s proposals are not related to university rankings as it ¡°already has top tier universities¡± (it has nine institutions in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings 2014-15), but instead is about ¡°following 바카라사이트 global patterns of internationalisation¡±.

¡°Japan set a target of 100,000 [overseas students at its universities] about 10 years ago and finally attained that?before extending it fur바카라사이트r.

¡°There is every reason to think that South Korea will be successful. It has good universities and a third of its academic staff [have] doctorates from 바카라사이트 United States alone. Much of its academic staff, although mostly of Korean heritage, are international in 바카라사이트ir education and collaborative outreach.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com