Classrooms in Korea try building connections through snacks, dance

The Korea Times - Sep 30, 2026

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday launched a six-month national campaign aimed at reshaping school culture. Today, more than 210,000 students enrolled in primary and secondary schools come from multicultural or immigrant backgrounds — a figure that continues to hit record highs year after year. Running through February 2027, the initiative, launched with the National Institute for Lifelong Education, pivots from passive lectures about abstract cultural awareness toward structured, shared experiences between immigrant and nonimmigrant youth. Findings from the 2024 National Multicultural Acceptance Survey, published by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, revealed a stark generational divide: Younger Koreans who regularly interact with peers from varied backgrounds demonstrate significantly higher levels of cultural openness (69.77 points) compared to older adults (53.38 points). To foster these essential daily interactions, the new campaign introduces monthly interactive programming designed to bring students together inside the classroom. In October, schools will host Small

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