Elementary school students in Madagascar learn Korean folk tales

Elementary school students in Madagascar, an island country in the Indian Ocean, can learn about various Korean culture including Korean folk tales through textbooks provided by the Korean government.

“As part of a pilot program, we will distribute the textbook ‘Folk tales and cultures of South Korea and Madagascar’ across elementary schools located in the Metropolitan area and some other cities from this year,” the South Korean embassy in Madagascar said Monday, The textbook contains 10 well-known Korean folk tales including “Heungbu and Nolbu,” “Kongjwi and Patjwi” and “Sugungga.” It also covers Hangul, Korean food and the history of the Korean economic development.

The embassy said it had worked on publishing the textbook with the education ministry of Madagascar last year. It also held an event on December 23 where it handed 3,400 copies of the first edition to students in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar.

With its GDP per capita at 450 dollars in 2018, Madagascar is one of the least developed countries in the world. Most students at public schools attend classes without textbooks.

“It broke my heart when I saw students without textbooks in the countryside,” said South Korean Ambassador to Madagascar Lim Sang-woo. “I hope students who study with the textbooks provided by the Korean government will later contribute to the development of Madagascar.”


abro@donga.com