Department of Korean Language and teacher training center open in Bukhara
A department of Korean language and a teacher training center have opened at the State Pedagogical Institute in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The new institutions are intended to become hubs for the development of Korean language teaching in the country’s western regions, including Bukhara, Navoi and Urgench.
As The Korea Herald reports, the department was established by the Bukhara State Pedagogical Institute, while the Tashkent Korean Education Center opened a teacher training center on its campus. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Education, the new department will be able to train 60 Korean language teachers annually.
Growing number of schools
The Bukhara region is located about 400 kilometers west of Tashkent. In 2023, Korean was taught in only four schools there, while as of August, the number of such institutions had reached 25.
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Previously, the only university in Uzbekistan with a department of Korean language was Nizami National Pedagogical University of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Training for local teachers was also available only through the Korean Education Center in the capital.
Teacher training
The new center will provide professional development courses for teachers already working in schools in the region. It will also offer language courses and cultural programs for local residents. The programs and the center’s work will be funded by South Korea’s Ministry of Education.
Korean language teaching in Uzbekistan is expanding through cooperation between the two countries: in 2022, about 40 schools offered relevant classes, while this year their number is expected to reach around 200. The Uzbek government is recruiting teachers from South Korea: this year, 17 government-selected teachers were assigned to schools. South Korea separately sends another five teachers and supports their selection and pre-departure training.
