News
Daekyo Culture Foundation is creating a healthy education culture.
Follow the latest news on Daekyo Culture Foundation.
news board
 |
Principal Hwang Ui-gyeon of Sung Kwang School Receives “Nunnopi Education Award”
2013.07.08
|
| Attachment |
The file does not exist.
|
| "The Ultimate Goal of Special Education is Self-reliant Life and Independence"
"What mentally retarded youngsters need most is to realize the dream of self-reliant independent life."
"The ultimate goal of special education is help the disabled children to lead a self-reliant and independent life," says Principal Hwang Ui-gyeon of Sung Kwang School, recipient of Nunnopi Education Award presented by the Daekyo Culture Foundation. He was willing to open a shop for his disabled students with the prize money of 10 million won. Last year, he borrowed tens of millions of won from bank and spent money out of his own pocket to open a shop for mentally retarded people. From 19 years old to 25 years old, 18 unemployed graduates out of 25 graduating students from Sung Kwang School make shopping bags and ornaments at the shop with Principal Hwang. "Although they receive a meager 10,000-30,000 won a day for their labor, the significance to them is that the shop is a place where they nurture their dream of being independent," Hwang says.
Principal Hwang is a living testimony of Korea’s special education who has devoted his 30 years to educating children with mental retardation. After studying social welfare in college, he watched suffering mentally retarded children during his assignment at U.S. Mennonite Korea branch in 1965. It was a wakeup call for him when he witnessed the mentally retarded children going hungry as they haplessly lose their food to other normal children because the children with disabilities were not separately accommodated and protected. He started to read books on the welfare of children with mental retardation.
He moved to Holt Children's Welfare Center in Ilsan in 1969 and had opened for the first time in Korea a special education division giving opportunities for severely disabled children to learn. From 1974, he devoted himself to educating orphaned children with mental retardation at Daniel School. In 1985, he founded Sung Kwang School with 17 students and 4 employees. It has grown to 265 students and 72-large faculty today. "I had to seek financial assistance through volunteer bazaar events and 'Blue Bell' publication events. And I had to seek donations from local benefactors whenever I could," Hwang recalls the old days.
"Observing children without any greed for money, power, and fame makes me feel very peaceful. It is my small wish to spend the rest of my life with some 20 children with disabilities I live with and be buried on their side later," he added.
[2001. 11. 07] The Segye Ilbo
|
| Previous |
8th Nunnopi Children’s Literary Award Winners Announced |
| Next |
Yoon Myung-ro, Yoo Jong-seul, and Go Young-cheol Receives “Nunnopi Education Award” |