PH high schools to teach Korean language — DepEd
Korean language will now be part of the Special Program in Foreign Languages (SPFL) by the Department of Education (DepEd).
A Memorandum of Agreement has been signed on June 21 following the inclusion of the Korean language in the Special Program in Foreign Languages (SPFL) of the Department of Education in the Philippines. Republic of Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Kim Jae Shin and Education Secretary Leonor Briones signed the MoA at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH) in Diliman, Quezon City.
Korean books./IMAGE sofitoekorea.com
The Korean language will be offered in 10 selected high schools in the National Capital Region. As per DepEd’s media release, the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) will help in providing quality instruction In Korean to strengthen the teachers’ capacity. The KCC is an organization that promotes Korean culture in the Philippines.
High school students in the Philippines./IMAGE Peace Corps via flickr
“I’m very happy that Korean language is added as one of the second foreign languages. Language is very important so teaching and studying [foreign languages] in schools is very helpful to deepen the bilateral understanding between two nations or cultures,” said Ambassador Kim.
The SPFL, which started in school year 2009 to 2010, is open to students who exhibited competence in English through the National Achievement Test (NAT) results. As of February 2017, there are 10,526 SPFL students nationwide. Other languages taught in the SPFL include Spanish, Japanese (Nihongo), Chinese (Mandarin), French, and German.
Source: DepEd release on Korean language, DepEd release on SPFL
Images grabbed from sofietokorea.com, Peace Corps via Flickr
