BIEK Advances Korean Campus of the Prestigious Haileybury School

By Kim Seung-hyun

Posted on 2024-02-15 at 10:18

Updated on 2024-02-15 at 16:27

https://biz.chosun.com/topics/topics_social/2024/02/15/WUTVTC4EG5BV3NROUKICPUYJTQ/

The BIEK International School Establishment Task Force, led by Yoon Ho-sang, announced on the 15th that they reached an agreement on February 9th with the main campus of Haileybury School in the UK to jointly establish an international school in Korea.

Haileybury School was selected as the best private school in the UK by The Times in 2024 and is a globally renowned prestigious institution, ranked 15th among 5,700 IB schools (IB: International Baccalaureate) across 160 countries.

BIEK, headquartered in the UK, is a specialized international school establishment consulting agency composed mainly of individuals with backgrounds as principals of British private schools and educators experienced in the establishment and operation of international schools. BIEK contracts with world-famous British schools like Haileybury to oversee the establishment of international schools in Korea and is currently promoting the establishment of prestigious international schools in five locations nationwide, including Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the Chungcheong region.

Yoon Ho-sang, the leader of the BIEK International School Establishment Task Force, stated, "Currently, BIEK is almost the only place that operates a dedicated office with the best experts who have experience in establishing and operating international schools in Korea." He explained, "As the significant impact of international schools on population inflow, formation of educational districts in education cities, and revitalization of the local economy becomes known, there has been an increase in requests for school attraction and consultation from all over the country, but we are only responding to some regions after evaluating the location and conditions."

According to various surveys, the number one reason for the reluctance of metropolitan employees working in government ministries, public institutions, and major corporations to be assigned to provincial locations is the issue of children's education. Most employees are hesitant to relocate their families from Seoul to the provinces without satisfactory educational conditions for their children.

To address this, a special law for enterprise cities, proposed by People Power Party Congressman Sung Il-jong (Seosan, Taean), was passed in the National Assembly plenary session on January 25, allowing the establishment of international schools for elementary, middle, and high school students in enterprise cities, including Taean.

Thus, attracting international schools is seen as playing a crucial anchor role in the development of enterprise cities, expected to accelerate urban development.

Meanwhile, in 2023, the Ministry of Education designated 12 areas as Education Internationalization Special Zones, with 10 of them adopting the IB education system. Among them, Cheonan, Dangjin, Hongseong, and Yesan in the Chungnam region were designated as special education zones. Chungcheongnam-do has been promoting 14 schools as IB schools of interest since last year, under the slogan "Chungnam-style IB schools."

Joseph Choi, representative of BIEK, said, "If a world-renowned IB school is established in Taean Enterprise City, it will be possible to offer IB training programs at Taean International School for teachers in the Chungnam region, aligning with the educational policy direction of the Ministry of Education and realizing 'Chungnam-style IB education'."

In addition, the international school is planning to coexist with the local community and businesses, by creating admission processes for children of employees of enterprise city companies, expanding scholarship admission systems for local children, sharing world-class sports facilities with local residents, and operating summer camps for local children.

Yoon Ho-sang, the task force leader, said, "Haileybury School, as a top global IB school, is considering placement in the optimal candidate sites, including the Taean Enterprise City, that have been pursued so far."