LG Uplus teams up with defense ministry to provide educational support for military families

By Kim Joo-heon Posted : August 6, 2021, 13:16 Updated : June 1, 2023, 19:51

[Courtesy of LGU+]

SEOUL -- LG Uplus, a mobile carrier that leads digital learning amid a COVID-19 pandemic, will offer an educational service for military families who have to move away frequently and spend their childhood near barracks in remote areas. Through non-face-to-face education services, the company aims to bridge the educational gap of school children in military families with their peers from ordinary households.

LG Uplus (LGU+) said it signed an agreement with South Korea's defense ministry on August 5 to provide educational support for the children of military families. The company's U+ Elementary Country service combines content from the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), an educational public broadcaster, with programs that allow children to learn English, Chinese and science.

Children can improve their English skills by reading English articles and their Korean translation as well as listening to MP3 files recorded by native speakers. LGU+ will provide exclusive smart pads for children in lower grades and bear the cost for content and telecommunication for two years.

Data from Statistics Korea in March showed that expenses on private education among elementary, middle and high school students in 2021 were down 11.8 percent from a year earlier as parents favored online learning and self-education rather than sending their children to private educational institutes and cram schools due to concerns about COVID-19.

"I think the content will be used naturally by schools if it is actively utilized, promoted, and made well," Seo Ye-zi, a daughter of a retired army colonel, told Aju Business Daily. Due to her father’s occupation, Seo has moved around about 10 times during her childhood which led her to study English through movies and books.

The defense ministry plans to select 500 children living in rural areas for a pilot project. Depending on its result, the number of applicants will rise to 1,000 in 2022. The ministry would coordinate with LGU+ to run a 10-week challenge program to help elementary school children improve self-directed learning capabilities.
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