Eight Korean exchange teachers participating in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Teacher Exchange for Global Education flew to Mongolia and Lao PDR to begin educational activities.
After completing the Pre-Departure Training at APCEIU in February and attending online lectures, exchange teachers departed for Mongolia and Lao PDR on 1 March to participate in Local Adjustment Training from 2 to 3 March. The Local Adjustment Training for Korean exchange teachers in Mongolia was organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia (MEdS Mongolia) and the General Authority for Education (GAE), while in Lao PDR, it was organized by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao MoES) and the Lao National Commission for UNESCO.
The Local Adjustment Training in Mongolia was held in Ulaanbaatar for four Korean teachers. The training on 2 March included lectures on the Mongolian education system, Mongolian culture and society, and the basic Mongolian language. Mentor teachers from the host schools also attended the training to introduce the school and discuss further educational activities with the Korean exchange teachers. At the welcoming ceremony, a range of local stakeholders –such as officials from MEdS Mongolia, the GAE, and Ulaanbaatar Metropolitan Education Department; principals, managers, and teachers from host schools; Korean exchange teachers; and staff from APCEIU– gathered together to introduce themselves and discuss the operation of the Korea-Mongolia Teacher Exchange Programme. On 3 March, Korean exchange teachers visited the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Mongolia and the host schools where the teachers would be dispatched.
The other four Korean exchange teachers participated in Local Adjustment Training in Vientiane, Lao PDR. On 2 March, personnel from Lao MoES delivered a lecture on the educational system in Lao PDR, and another from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR on the Lao culture and society. Instructor Jeong Sanghyun's lecture on the Lao language and culture was also held. On 3 March, the Korean exchange teachers visited Dongkhamxang Secondary School and Phiawat Secondary School, where they would be dispatched, and held meetings with school officials. In the afternoon, the Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Lao PDR gave a safety guideline lecture. Major figures, including the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Teacher Education of the Lao MoES and the Director General of the Lao National Committee for UNESCO, attended the training as 2023 marks the first year of face-to-face exchanges between Korea and Lao PDR.
A total of eight teachers will be dispatched to four schools in Mongolia and Lao PDR, where they will teach the subjects of their specialty integrated with Global Citizenship Education as well as Korean language and culture for about three months.
Starting with the Programmes in Mongolia and Lao PDR, the APTE Programme resumes on-site exchange after three years of the online programme due to COVID-19. Dispatch to Thailand will begin in May, followed by Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines in August.
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