Nowadays, many teenagers hire expensive private tutors because they don’t want to be left behind and they wish to eventually gain admission to prestigious universities. In this increasingly competitive society, what will happen to the students who can’t afford private tutors? Will the parents’ economic background decide the children’s education and social class? SNU and Mirae Kukje Foundation are trying hard to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, and actualize equal education opportunities.
Mirae Kukje Foundation Board President Kim Sun Dong has donated two hundred million won to SNU, so that the university can resume its mentoring program for children. Kim Sun Dong, 70, was admitted to SNU’s Department of Chemical Engineering in 1959.
The agreement ceremony was held at Hoam Faculty House on Friday, June 24. Mirae Kukje Foundation Board President Kim Su Dong, President of SNU Oh Yeon Chun, Dean of SNU Lee Hak Rae, Dean of Academic Affairs Kim Hong Jong and other important university faculty were present for this event.
The “SNU Mentoring Project” was launched in 2009 for the purpose of letting SNU students give economically disadvantaged students advice on study methods, choosing a career path, aptitude and everyday life.
Kim Sun Dong has been managing Mirae Kukje Foundation and operating the “Sprout Mentoring Scholarship Project” in the belief that poverty shouldn’t be handed down to the next generation. He was sorry to learn that SNU had to terminate its mentoring program due to budget restraints. So he provided money for SNU through Mirae Kukje Foundation and made the continuation of the “SNU Mentoring Project” possible.
In response to Kim’s intentions and donation, the “SNU Mentoring Project” will be expanded and transferred to the Global Social Contribution Center, which will be newly established in the fall of this year.
After retiring from a 30-year career of administrating the company S-OIL, Kim founded Mirae Kukje Foundation in order to contribute to society by spreading the spirit of altruism. Since 2008, he has co-operated the “Sprout Mentoring Program” in which SNU students tutor destitute middle- and high school students twice a week. One SNU student is responsible for about 6 students. The SNU students conduct their lessons either by using Skype, a free online video telephone, or by meeting the students in person at the students’ school or library. At the end of each week, the SNU students have to report to Mirae Kukje Foundation about the time of each lesson and its progress. They receive a monthly scholarship, which is proportional to the time they worked as mentors. Kim has invested about 10 billion won in the “Sprout Mentoring Program” over the last 5 years. Kim received the third SNU Development Contribution Award for this project in 2010.
Kim says, “The SNU students who benefited from this scholarship have stepped forward to help those who were neglected by our society. That in itself shows the enlightenment and action produced by the virtue of sharing.” He also expressed his wish that this become an opportunity for SNU to solidify its status as a center of contribution and public service.
A student who was selected as a mentor (’11 College of Law) said, “This project is very innovative and efficient because it accomplishes two goals at the same time. The project uses the SNU students’ talent to help disadvantaged students and provides scholarships to SNU students who have trouble funding their education. The project is also very meaningful because it teaches us that individual success is valuable when shared with the rest of the society. The teenagers who learned from the mentors will be inclined to help others and therefore continue the chain of good intentions.”
Written by JANG Hyo Jeong, SNU English Editor, fatalbonds@snu.ac.kr ?
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor