The Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for making the latter a hub of Korean studies in South Asia. It also extended a grant to JNU for research and networking. Kirtika Suneja caught up with AKS president Kim Jung Bae who spoke about the agreement and related issues. Edited excerpts:
What is the nature of this collaboration with JNU?
Till now, there was no official or formal channel between the two universities but after this agreement, AKS will be a channel for cooperative projects with JNU. JNU has a full-fledged programme in Korean studies and if this collaboration is successful, then we will extend it to other universities also. We have signed an MoU with JNU and are also giving them a grant for research and networking.
What's the amount and how do you envisage it being used?
We are giving around $65-70,000 (Rs 30-32 lakh) to JNU for research and networking. The research grant is for the JNU faculty who wish to study Korea-related topics and publish books and journals on them. Networking refers to making JNU the hub of Korean studies. The grant is initially for three years and depending on the success of the projects, JNU can then apply for strategic studies for the next five years. It is up to JNU to decide whether they want to use the grant only for faculty research for making better teachers by enhancing the teachers’ research profile or for students also.
What areas will the agreement cover?
The agreement covers many areas like comparative studies between the two countries. For instance, historians can be given some grant to understand Korean studies and economists can be helped to study the Korean economy. PhD students can present papers and JNU will coordinate with us depending on these factors.
Can you list some significant learnings from the Korean education system?
Parents in Korea take great interest in education so much so that besides sending their children to school, they also send them for tuitions. Indians are intelligent and organised but India needs to make more investments in tertiary- and secondary -level education especially private individual investment. Parents here must take more interest in education.
In which areas do you see the two countries working together?
The two countries have a common culture and we need to identify each other's strengths to develop a mutually-complementing relationship. We can collaborate on the political and economic fronts and at the international level for peace and prosperity. At the economic level, Korean know-how can be used in the Indian information technology industry. In fact, the Korean government is inviting English teachers from India to teach there.
