Cameroon Tribune :
Education, vocational training, science and technology are important domains in which Cameroon and the Republic of Korea can foster bilateral cooperation. The experience can be beneficial to Cameroon in its development endeavour. Talking to C.T. on the subject, Cho Yulrae, Director General for Policy Planning in Korea's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said, "Education and vocational training have been government's priority" which has produced the necessary manpower for labour-intensive industries from the 1960s. He said sharing experiences in education could be beneficial to Cameroon in its development drive.
Incheon bridge (12.3km) will link Soeul to Incheon expressway
It is known that education has contributed to democracy and political development in modern Korea by encouraging upward political socialization, opening opportunities to explore new fields of knowledge and sharing value systems and views about the country. Education has also played a major role in the nation's economic development by helping to produce robust manpower necessary for economic growth and facilitated the development of sophisticated industries and improved labour productivity. In the social and cultural domain, education has been instrumental in Korea's social and cultural development contributing to the formation of a modern value system and the establishment of development- oriented views.Dr. Kin Jae-Kum, planning officer with the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said his country's educational system has what he called "a single-track 6 - 3 - 3 - 4 system" that requires six years in primary school, three years in middle school, three years in high school, and four years in university.
Education in Korea is crucial to individual success and competition is very heated and fierce. Cho Yulrae, Director General for Policy Planning with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology says the problem "results from the one-size-fits- all school system, excessive competition for university entrance exams and lack of responsibility of public education". With the advent of a knowledge-based post-industrial society where human capital and knowledge are key to growth and prosperity, Korea has adopted a new concept of human resource development. It was the reason why President Lee Myung Bak's administration in 2008 merged the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development with the Ministry of Science and Technology to enhance its synergetic effects.
The Korean government has also adopted a new educational programme to increase the number of their foreign students by 2010. It is planned that by that time the number of scholarships for foreign students in Korea will be doubled, and the number of foreign students will reach 100,000. Cameroon is not yet fully benefiting from the educational experience of Korea as there are only 66 Cameroonian students currently studying in Korean universities. There is however room for improvement as the two countries have expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation and exchange programmes in the field of education.
