The opening ceremony of the project “Youngjae Kium”, supervised by the Ministry of Education, took place on May 12. “Youngjae Kium” translates to “rearing talented students”, and KAIST’s Global Institute for Talented Education has been selected as the operating agency for this project. Approximately 800 students and mentors were invited to KAIST for a day of campus tours, an opening ceremony that included a welcome speech, talks and performances by graduates of KAIST, and special lectures.
“Youngjae Kium” is a project that supports talent-focused education for students who are not able to reach their potential due to socioeconomic barriers. Potential recipients of the support include students from low-income or multicultural families, those with special education needs, and defectors from North Korea. Students will be able to apply to different fields of interest such as math, science, invention, software, and humanities and social sciences. These students will engage in a 1:1 program with their mentors, and each program will be uniquely suited to the student’s own developmental pace and needs.
Based on recommendations from the Metropolitan and Provincial Ministry of Education, 400 students from 4th to 10th grade and 400 mentors were selected for the program. The participants can apply for a duration of a minimum of three years to a maximum of nine years. As for the agency who will manage the project, the Global Institute for Talented Education at KAIST was chosen on March 15 earlier this year.
The Global Institute for Talented Education is an organization that establishes the foundation for finding and educating scientifically gifted students. This overarching objective is followed by three main approaches: first, the institute supports research for gifted education policy making and consultation for gifted education institutes; next, it is also involved in training faculty for science high schools; and finally, the institute focuses on education by running the KAIST Science Outreach Program and providing education for IP Gifted Entrepreneurs and cyber education for science gifted students.
Regarding the start of the new project, President Sung-Chul Shin commented, “Through this ‘Youngjae Kium’ project, KAIST will set an example of demonstrating social responsibility and true social contribution … We will provide full material and emotional support to make sure that no student becomes discouraged due to socioeconomic reasons.”
As “Youngjae Kium” is the first educational project solely focused and based on the needs of alienated groups, the hidden potential and capabilities that can be unleashed are anticipated.