Teacher-trainees from select public schools will undertake intensive language training for them to pass the program and be fully equipped to teach the Korean language in their respective schools.

Teachers who will participate in Batch 6 Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) - Korean Language Teacher Training during the virtual orientation. (Photo courtesy of KCC)

The training is part of the partnership between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) to strengthen the Korean language education program in the country under the Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL).

For this batch, 23 teacher trainees from the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (CALABARZON) regions will be studying the Korean language in different modalities for 10 months starting this month until May 2024.

The teacher-trainees need to pass the program before they can teach the Korean language in their respective schools after the batch training.

During the virtual orientation of teachers who will participate in Batch 6 Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) - Korean Language Teacher Training held last July 28, KCC Director Kim Myeongjin, Senior Manager Lee Du-kyung, and Class Coordinator Maron Albangco provided and discussed important details regarding the said training.

Also in the program were officers from the DepEd handling the SPFL program, Batch 6 teacher-trainees, school heads, and division and regional SPFL supervisors/coordinators.

Kim, in his message, noted the importance of this training program for teachers. He explained that the program will not only help the goal of the KCC to provide opportunities for learning the Korean language but also strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

For her part, DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn Andaya hailed the success of the SPFL-Korean program over the years.

She noted that many students and educators alike become more interested in learning the language.

Andaya also emphasized the essence of training in learning a foreign language, as it plays an important part in helping the students learn the language with ease and confidence.

The SPFL-Korean program was the latest among the six languages offered under the SPFL.

It was established in June 2017 through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines and the DepEd to provide Korean language classes in select public schools in the Philippines as one of the special curricular offerings.

The program includes a cycle of training for Filipino public school teachers for them to be eligible to teach Korean in their respective schools.

The KCC has trained five batches of teachers, totaling 149 teachers from 68 schools since the program was established.