Policy Direction / MOE, e-learning The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE) has been strongly promoting Korea's elearning as a global brand. 'We are planning to enhance positive images of Korea in overseas markets and maximize synergy effects of Korea's exports of e-learning,' said Lee Byunghyun, director-general of the MOE. Related to this, the ministry has mapped out the three major strategies for globalization of e-learning, which call for taking an initiative in educational information of international community, strengthening of domestic e-learning power, and easing of the educational information gap between countries. 'As an initial step, we will dispatch a Korean delegation comprising e-learning experts from business and academic circles to Israel in April, France in May and Canada in June and hold e-learning international seminars there,' Lee said in an interview with the Korea IT Times. He also said that contributing to narrowing the information gap between elearning advanced countries and latecomers is not less important than brisk exchanges with advanced countries. 'Accordingly, we are supporting developing countries for educational information in a package, ranging from construction of information and communication technologies (ICT) environment at schools in East Asia to policy consultations, in order to let Koreatype e-learning model take root in foreign countries,' he said. Along with this, Lee said, the ministry will make intensive R&D investment to back up such advancement into foreign countries, while bolstering basic physical strength of domestic e-learning. On the occasion of the successful start of EBS exam lectures, the ministry has emerged as the country leading e-learning in the APEC region, he said. In particular, Korea played its role as a chairman country in the 2005 APEC, promoting its status in the international community. From 2005, the ministry has been actively expanding its educational information supports to developing countries to enhance Korea's image as an IT superpower and transfer its advanced know-how to them. In 2005, for instance, Korea supported the provision of 3,755 secondhand PCs to 14 countries and invited 349 foreign government officials and teachers to a variety of education programs, receiving favorable responses from participating countries. As the supporting PC contains Hangeul (Korean alphabet) 2002, Korean language educational contents and other e-learning educational contents, it will greatly contribute to creating Hallyu (Korean wave) in foreign countries continuously, he said. Encouraged by the positive results, the ministry plans to support a total of 18 countries for e-learning this year by adding three more countries. In particular, it is moving to conduct educational information consulting services for two countries this year. Along with this, the ministry plans to more systematically and effectively push for the e-learning project this year by strategically linking one supporting country with one Korean educational office and one Korean university and creating a cluster among them. For rehabilitation of peace in Iraq, particularly, the ministry plans to supply 250 secondhand PCs to 22 schools in Irbil and invite 21 Iraqi teachers to a training program for educational information. 'The ministry's educational information supporting project for developing countries is expected to greatly contribute to accelerate globalization of 'Korea's e-learning' brand and narrow gap of knowledge information between countries,' Lee said. In addition, the favorable relations created through the project will provide domestic e-learning companies with good chances to encroach upon the overseas markets, he said. Meanwhile, Korean universities participating in the project will be able to promote the degree of their awareness in relevant countries, according to Lee. On the e-learning of public education, he said, the ministry would strive to develop effective programs and contents for extracurricular and vacation activities, while actively accepting excellent contents developed by private enterprises. It will also actively push ahead with ubiquitous education at schools by developing and applying a model that grafts ubiquitous technology onto school education, while pursuing tailor-made learning by individual. Lee said, 'We can realize a life-long learning society by introducing ubiquitous learning based on ubiquitous technology. Related to this, the ministry plans to build a consortium comprising representatives from the private, government, academic and research circles and establish a road map for 'u-learning Korea 2010.' ' As a means of promoting Korea's image in foreign countries, the ministry is also planning to attract a variety of international events related to education to Korea. In line with this, Microsoft has decided to hold the World Imagine Cup Contest in Korea in 2007. The ministry is also moving to attract East Asia ICT Conference and Leader's Forum to Korea. The followings are excerpts from an interview with Lee Byung-hyun, directorgeneral of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. Q: Would you introduce the ministry's plan to expand e-learning of public education in the country In the past 10 years, the ministry attained successful results in building the foundation for use of information and cultivating basis-using ability by carrying out effective educational informatization policy. Based on this success, in the third stage of the educational informatization project, we will focus on promoting levels of elearning for reform of school education in terms of both quality and quantity, he said. The ministry will actively push for advanced e-learning policy, which places the focus on helping students at middle and high schools increase their ability to solve problems and raise high-dimensional way of thinking. Related to this, the ministry has a plan to shift to a learner-oriented educational paradigm through reform of training for teachers and strengthening of the linkage between e-learning and scholarship activities. Q: Would you explain about the globalization policy of e-learning and the long-term road map of domestic elearning In case the government takes an initiative in approaching the business model, it may bring about a sense of refusal from local countries. Accordingly, the ministry plans to prepare a foundation for Korea's elearning industries and experts to advance into foreign markets smoothly through a non-business model for educational informatization that has great ripple effects. Local countries have also shown keen interest to educational informatization that has actual effects for use, rather than general IT supports. Accordingly, we plan to maximize ripple effects in local countries through the educational informatization supporting project, which is made under the premise of free assistance and exchanges for three to five years. Q: The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development is developing a policy to enhance the status of Korea in the international society with e-learning. Would you explain about the contents of the policy To establish the status of Korea as a leader responsible for the international society, the ministry will actively participate in the project to reduce information gap between countries and propel a joint project with international organizations. Many international organizations and global enterprises are now pushing for the project to reduce information gap between countries in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations. For this purpose, we are actively pushing for concluding a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the World Bank to activate joint projects and exchanges. In September this year, Korea will host the first e-learning international exhibition to firm up Korea's leading role in the elearning field. At the same time, we are planning to jointly organize an international e-learning conference with the World Bank and ASEM to maximize synergy effects.