▲ Wall decoration in NLCS Jeju. Photo by Kim Jinmi

[This article is written by a JDC Junior Journalist. The JDC Junior Journalist program is an educational project sponsored by Jeju Free International City Development Corporation (JDC). JDC Junior Journalist articles are only briefly edited by mentors before publishing.]

The Global Education City is one of the main projects that the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) is currently pushing ahead. The project aims to create a fixed Global Education city where education and everyday life is in English. The North London Collegiate School (NLCS), Korea International School (KIS), and Branksome Hall Asia (BHA) are all international schools on Jeju, which were finished between 2011 and 2012.

NLCS Jeju is the first international school that officially opened its doors on Jeju. The NLCS’s primary campus, founded by Frances Mary Buss, is in London, and has been built for 160 years.

The school lets its students learn how to become self-motivated and actively engage with the study materials instead of being passively directed by a teacher. NLCS Jeju offers about 100 extra-curricular activities such as horseback riding and scuba diving, using the local environment of Jeju. Also,students don’t need any separate private education outside of school. It means that students can literally earn the level of education required by the Korean educational system within the bounds of the school.

Peter Daly, the principal of NLCS Jeju, has led the school for two years. According to Mr.Daly, the school forces its students to speak in English 24 hours a day. “In lessons obviously you have to learn in English,” he said.

Educational expenses for NLCS have currently been issued, because it is much more costly than other schools on Jeju.

However, Mr.Daly expressed that at 30,0000 dollars a year for resident students, if one compares the cost of NLCS Jeju with similar schools in the U.K, it is pretty good.

When asked about the differences between Korean students and students of other nationalities, he answered: “I would say there are two elements of Korean students that obviously comes through your culture. You never give up, you always get there. And that’s probably come from your background in that country you have to strive, work hard... and that spirit has been lost in the West. We don’t have that hunger.”

Another international school affiliated with a school from America is expected to be built on Jeju after two years.