Mayor Lee Dong-hwan: “We must solve the low birth rate crisis and the integration of foster care by establishing an advanced childcare system”
Goyang Special City announced that on the 22nd (local time), it visited Brisbane, Australia with directors from the Goyang City Childcare Policy Forum and the Daycare Center Association, met with Korean childcare teachers, and had a tea party to share childcare issues in both countries.
The city delegation, comprised of representatives from childcare policy-related departments, childcare teacher training centers, childcare comprehensive support centers, and types of daycare centers, is visiting Australia and New Zealand from September 21 to 28 to conduct overseas training on advanced childcare policies for the purpose of establishing integrated childcare and education development special zones.
The tea party on this day was arranged to understand the current status of childcare teachers in Australia, including their working conditions, social status, and teacher support policies, and to systematically promote Goyang Special City’s childcare policy and integration of kindergartens and daycare centers by reflecting on-site experiences and vivid opinions. Childcare workers from both countries freely exchanged opinions on current childcare issues during the tea party held in a friendly atmosphere.
A childcare teacher working at a daycare center in Brisbane, Australia, who attended the event that day, introduced the system by saying, “Australia’s education system is a 12-year system where daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools are mostly located in one place, and elementary, middle, and high school education are integrated.”
He continued, “In Korea, the courses for obtaining childcare teachers and kindergarten teachers are separate, but Australian childcare teacher qualifications are divided into degrees and certificates, and are divided into various levels such as 4-year, 2-year, and 6-12 month courses, so they can be referenced in establishing an integrated childcare teacher training course and training system.” He added, “We pursue play-based early childhood education and create an environment where children can actively participate in their own learning through a child-centered approach.”
Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Dong-hwan said, “Korea’s childcare sector is facing difficult challenges such as the low birth rate crisis and the integration of childcare centers,” and encouraged childcare workers in both Korea and Australia, saying, “I hope that by learning from and sharing Australia’s advanced childcare system, Goyang City will grow into a city where it is good to raise children.”
The city delegation visited the Queensland Korean War Memorial in Cascade Park, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, to pay tribute and pay their respects. Local Koreans, including Min Chang-hee, the president of the Gold Coast Korean Association, also attended and paid tribute to the sacrifices and dedication of Korean War veterans.
The Queensland Korean War Memorial was built in 2011 with the support of the Korean government and the Queensland State Government and donations from local Korean residents to commemorate the courage and dedication of the 17,164 Australian soldiers who fought in the Korean War and to further strengthen the cooperative relationship between Korea and Australia that was established through the war.
Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Dong-hwan said, “I express my deepest gratitude for the noble sacrifice and dedication of the Korean War veterans who protected freedom,” and added, “Goyang Special City will also actively work to develop friendly and cooperative relations between Korea and Australia.”
Economy Queen Reporter Kim Hong-mi / Photo Goyang City
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2024-09-24 03:59:35