A celebration for the 2010 Hangeul Week in Gyeongbokgung Palace on Friday, October 8.

This week, Koreans celebrate Hangeul, the writing system created by King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) in 1443. This important event is commemorated every year on October 9.

Celebrating the 564th anniversary of the proclamation of Hangeul, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism declared the first week of October to be “Hangeul Week” (Oct. 4-9), and various cultural exhibitions and functions take place nationwide. The capital city of Seoul hosts the official Hangeul Ceremony (Oct. 9), Hangeul Letter Exhibition (Oct. 8-17), Hangeul Dance and Singing Contest (Oct. 7-9), Jiphyeonjeon Academic Conference (Oct. 5-9), and Braille Exhibition (Oct. 7-9) at Gyeongbok Palace, the Sejong Center for Performing Arts, Gwanghwamun Square, and other venues in downtown Seoul.

In 1989, Korean government, in order to promote the spirit behind the creation of Hangeul, established the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize to recognize the efforts of individuals or groups who work to eradicate illiteracy. The award ceremony takes place on International Literacy Day (September 8) at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The recipients receive a medal, a certificate of recognition, and $20,000.

A total of 36 groups dedicated to spreading literacy and teaching in nations like India, Jordan, Tunisia, Ecuador, China, Zaire, the Philippines, Togo, Nigeria, Peru and Senegal have been honored with the prize.

Hangeul Design Exhibition in Sujeong-jeon, Gyeongbokgung Palace (Oct.8 -17)

As this year’s theme for the UN Literacy Prize is “Literacy and Women’s Empowerment,” the 2010 award went to innovative literacy and job training programs that contribute to women’s education and well-being.

Two state-run organizations, the General Directorate of Adult Training in Cape Verde and the State Institute for Teacher Training and School Development in Germany, were honored with the Sejong Prize this year. The Virtual Assisted Literacy Programme of the North Catholic University Foundation in Colombia received honorable mention.

“I could feel the dynamic spirit of Korea just by taking a stroll around the streets of Myeongdong,” Florenco Mendes Varela, the director general of the General Directorate of Adult Training at Cape Verde, said in his brief talks with the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), an organ of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), on Tuesday, October 5.

He was invited to Korea along with fellow recipients of the Sejong Prize to attend Hangeul ceremonies and academic exchanges on world literacy programs. “The King Sejong Prize, named after the king who created a writing system for his countrymen, perfectly suits its purpose,” added Varela.

The Adult Education and Training Programme (EdFoA) of the General Directorate of Adult Training in Cape Verde helped drop the illiteracy rate of the country dramatically, from 60 percent in the 1970s to 20 percent. The organization focused especially on poor women in desperate need of not only education, but professional training.

Florenco Mendes Varela (left), the director general of the General Directorate of Adult Training at Cape Verde and Francisco Angel Franco (right), Dean of the North Catholic University Foundation, Colombia

“Our education program most benefits women in their 40s or older, who missed their chance for education during the colonial period,” explained Varela. Cape Verde gained independence 35 years ago. Varela also went on to say, “I heard that King Sejong contributed a lot to unifying the country’s spirit with the creation of Korean characters."

The adult training institute is divided into basic and professional education. Basic education is aimed at those who are unable to attend school, while the professional education program focuses on providing job training. There are branch centers in several regions that open free of charge for both children and adults. Some of the most popular education courses include city planning and training for tourism-related occupations.

Francisco Angel Franco, Dean of the North Catholic University Foundation, arrived the same day as Varela to participate in academic exchanges and cultural functions. He said he was taken by the design of Korean national flag, the Taegeukgi, when he first arrived in Korea. “I like the national flag, which symbolizes yin and yang, and I am also impressed by the cultural identity of Korea. But what I most like about Korea is the desire to spread learning and to raise children with virtue.”

A chair from Hangeul Design Exhibition in Gyeongbokgung Palace

The North Catholic University Foundation in Colombia, with its Virtual Assisted Literacy Programme, works to eradicate ‘digital illiteracy,’ while offering a basic education. Founded in 1996, the foundation has so far created 15 different higher education programs involving 8,943 people, while their cyber school offers secondary formal education programs to 22,614 people and extension programs to 23,219 students.

The online education is free, making the cyber class available to anyone, anytime, and anyplace.

Other representatives coming to Korea include Gabriele Rabkin from Germany’s State Institute for Teacher Training and School Development, which is being lauded for its Family Literacy Project (FLY) to help immigrant families become active members of German society through various social programs, and Molly Melching from Tostan, a professional language and job training organization in Senegal. Tostan received the Sejong Literacy Prize in 2007, but was unable to send representatives to Korea at that time.

The visitors will tour several cultural sites in Korea, including Yeongneung, the royal tomb of King Sejong in the city of Yeoju. They will also visit UNESCO-designated world culture sites, including Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju and Hahoe Village in Andong.

By Kim Hee-sung
Korea.net Staff Writer