Korean-language teacher training in Uzbekistan is expanding beyond the capital, with a new university department and training center opening in Bukhara as demand for Korean classes surges.
The Bukhara State Pedagogical Institute has established a Korean language department, and the Tashkent Korean Education Center has opened a teacher training center on the institute’s campus, South Korea’s Education Ministry said Thursday.
Located about 400 kilometers west of Tashkent, the Bukhara region had just four schools offering Korean classes in 2023. The number had risen to 25 as of August.
The new facilities will serve as regional hubs for training Korean-language teachers and expanding Korean education across western Uzbekistan, including Bukhara, Navoi and Urgench, the ministry said.
Until now, the National Pedagogical University of Uzbekistan named after Nizami in Tashkent was the country’s only university with a Korean language department.
Training for local Korean-language teachers was also available only through the Korean Education Center in the capital.
The new department in Bukhara is expected to train 60 Korean-language teachers annually.
The teacher training center will provide professional development for Korean-language instructors working at schools in the region. It will also offer Korean language courses and cultural programs for local residents.
Korea’s Education Ministry will fund the center’s programs and operations.
Korean-language education has expanded rapidly across Uzbekistan in recent years through cooperation between the two countries. About 40 schools offered Korean classes in 2022, while roughly 200 are expected to do so this year.
The Uzbek government has also begun inviting teachers from Korea to meet growing demand.
Seventeen teachers recruited by the Uzbek government have been assigned to schools this year, with additional placements under consideration at vocational, elementary and secondary schools.
Korea’s Education Ministry is separately sending five teachers to Uzbekistan at its own expense and supporting their recruitment and predeparture training.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
