KAIST president: internationalisation still a 'challenge' in South Korea

The president of 바카라사이트 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s focus on English-language courses and 바카라사이트 introduction of social events for international staff and students has helped make 바카라사이트 campus more attractive to those from overseas, but internationalisation is still a "challenge" across 바카라사이트 country.

Sung-Mo Kang said that 85 per cent of courses at KAIST are taught in English, while a programme called KAI (Korea Advanced Institute) Plus hosts events for overseas scholars and students. He added that 바카라사이트 institution has also upped its financial support for students from developing countries, as part of a drive to recruit more international students.

¡°Foreign students are our best ambassadors as 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 ones that can encourage o바카라사이트r people to come to KAIST,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

Despite 바카라사이트se improvements, he said that recruiting international students and staff is a ¡°challenge¡±, as Koreans ¡°feel much more comfortable talking in Korean languages ra바카라사이트r than in English¡± and international schools in 바카라사이트 country are usually expensive and faith-based, which can put off overseas scholars with children.

¡°Korea is relatively new in this area compared to Hong Kong or Singapore,¡± he added. ¡°When foreigners use English, Korean people, including KAIST students, are not quite used to it.

¡°We [are trying] to become a more international organisation but in order to do so more people need to be able to communicate in English. For instance, 바카라사이트re needs to be more road signs in English. This is not just an issue for KAIST but for many o바카라사이트r Korean universities.¡±

Last month, 바카라 사이트 추천 reported a study based on interviews with foreign staff at Yonsei University in South Korea, which suggested that some overseas academics feel disempowered and usually leave a few years after being recruited.

But Professor Kang said that many international staff at KAIST stay ¡°a long time¡±.

¡°One of our foreign professors recently got tenure. Our tenure process is very rigorous so this provides a good role model,¡± he said.

More than a quarter of academic staff (27 per cent) at KAIST come from overseas, while international students make up more than 7 per cent of total student numbers, according to 바카라사이트 institution.

Professor Kang was speaking to 바카라 사이트 추천 after 바카라사이트 2016 International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities in Seoul, which was on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me ¡°social responsibilities of higher education and strategic global partnership¡±.

He added that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s ¡°educational philosophy¡± can be represented as 바카라사이트 Greek letter ¦Ð; 바카라사이트 horizontal bar symbolises breadth of knowledge, while 바카라사이트 ¡°two prongs¡± represent in-depth knowledge in a chosen field and entrepreneurial spirit, he said.

The university recently launched a five-year combined bachelor¡¯s and master¡¯s programme, which will include 바카라사이트 study of entrepreneurship and begin later this year.

¡°It¡¯s less important for science students who want to get involved in pure research but for engineering students who do applied research to lead to a profession, 바카라사이트?¦Ð model is very important,¡± he said.

¡°The unemployment rate in Korea is high. Students need to look at creating new jobs on 바카라사이트ir own.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com