THE Japanese Ministry of Education plans to start teaching English to third-grade pupils on a trial basis at several hundred primary schools nationwide in fiscal 2009. A ministry official said the model schools need to collect data on whether studying foreign languages so early is appropriate. The ministry hopes to conduct the trial for at least two years. Details of the trial English program are still being hammered out.
Schools in Seoul to have foreign teachers
韩国首尔所有中小学将配备英语外教
ALL primary and middle schools in Seoul, South Korea, will have native English teachers next year. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it has hired 136 native speakers in the first semester this year and will hire an additional 300 in the second semester next year. In addition, about 200 will be employed by individual schools with financial support from local governments or from the school’s own budget.
