This project is a form of official development assistance (ODA) designed to support educational and cultural infrastructure in developing economies.
When the three new libraries are completed, there will then be six small libraries in Mongolia, as Korea previously built three small libraries in prior years.
The first of the three new planned libraries was opened at Secondary School No.5 in Sainshand, Dornogobi Province, on Oct. 28.
The opening ceremony was attended by Director Munkhbayar Munkhbaatar of the Mongolian Department of Policy Implementation and Coordination, representatives from the Dornogobi provincial office and the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE), the principal at the school, Orgilbayar B., as well as teachers and students.
Books line the walls at the newly opened Thank You Small Libraries book center at Secondary School No. 5 in Sainshand, Dornogobi Province, on Oct. 28.
Secondary School No.5 in Sainshand, Dornogobi, was established in 2012. Currently, a total of 1,032 students are enrolled in its 36 classes, ranging from elementary school to high school.
The school's old library was in a renovated principal’s office, after the school accepted a proposal after one of its teachers visited Korea. However, the library needed remodeling in order to meet the students' current needs and expectations.
Thanks to the project, Korea provided 2,000 books and necessary hardware, such as laptops, desktops, photocopiers, bookshelves and other furniture.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the KOFICE will open two more small libraries in Sukhbaatar and Dornod provinces within the year. Under the criteria of the project, these regions were chosen because they are either located in remote areas or lack access to certain welfare benefits.
There are approximately 1,500 libraries across Mongolia. Among them, about 50 percent of them are run by schools.
Representatives from education authorities in Dornogobi Province, as well as the school principal and teachers, hang a signboard to mark the opening of the Thank You Small Libraries book center at Secondary School No.5 in Sainshand, Dornogobi Province, on Oct. 28.
The Korean culture ministry has been carrying out this program since 2007 when it started with a project in Ghana, with the goal of narrowing the culture and information gap suffered by children and youth in developing countries and to boost their learning abilities.
As part of the project, Korea will build small libraries and provide books, resources, computers and other related equipment to existing book centers smaller than 50 square meters that are provided by the recipient country. After that, Korea will continue to support library management by offering resources and education programs for its administration staff.
A total of 92 libraries have been built in 12 countries across Africa and Asia, including Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mongolia and Cambodia.
Representatives of Mongolian educational authorities, Dornogobi Province and the school itself discuss how to boost exchanges between Korea and Mongolia. The discussion is part of the opening ceremony for the Thank You Small Libraries book center at Secondary School No.5 in Sainshand, Dornogobi Province, on Oct. 28.
Students, teachers and representatives from Mongolian educational authorities pose for a photo during the opening ceremony of the Thank You Small Libraries book center at Secondary School No.5 in Sainshand, Dornogobi Province, on Oct. 28.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
arete@korea.kr
