GAWLER East Primary School has welcomed students from South Korea this past week as part of an exchange program.
This is the second time Gawler East has been involved in hosting students, after it had six other South Korean pupils visit the school back in 2017, and had six of its own students travel there in January 2018.
Gawler East principal Alec Tibbitts said the South Korean programme was something he wanted to do while at his previous school in Mallala.
“The Ministry of Education in South Korea has worked in partnership with the Department for Education to implement the programme, which supports South Korean students to develop their English skills and for all students to improve their cultural understanding,” he said.
“At my previous school, Mallala Primary School, Korean was the language taught and I had been seeking to be a part of the programme, but at the time the distance from Adelaide was considered too
great.
“When I became principal of Gawler East, I was approached by International Education to be a part of the programme.
“I agreed readily as it fits in well with the message of ‘respect’ that is promoted at the school.
“Respect goes beyond the school gates, and in an increasingly global society respect and understanding between cultures is paramount.”
Mr Tibbitts added the students, teachers and families all get a unique experience out of the exchange.
“The students who visit us are delightful,” he said.
“There is a lot of competition to attend the programme and the successful students must have performed well on an English test and a character test.
“They have certainly already impressed the teachers, students and host families.
“Already, I have been asked if they can stay.
“The students in their classes are fascinated by the language and culture, but the best lesson for our school community is that kids are kids all over the world.”