UNESCO Bangkok to carry forward legacy of Dr Kim following director’s passing

UNESCO Bangkok to carry forward legacy of Dr Kim following director’s passing

By The Nation

Dr Gwang-Jo Kim

Dr Gwang-Jo Kim, director of UNESCO Bangkok since 2009, has passed away at the age of 61

His passing on August 11 came while he was on the verge of retirement following a distinguished career championing the rights of learners and promoting peace both as a public servant in his home country of South Korea and with the World Bank and UNESCO.

Born on August 24, 1955 in Gyeongju, he grew up in a farming family, but his education would take him far away from working on the land. 

“Education gave me an opportunity to find my place in a broader world,” he once said. 

After graduating from one of the most prestigious universities in his country in 1978 with majors in civil law and public administration, Dr Kim passed South Korea’s State Higher Civil Service Commission exam. 

He then began his career as an officer in Seoul Metropolitan City and quickly moved to the national Education Ministry.

While at the ministry, he received a government scholarship to study at Harvard University.

Dr Kim then returned to Korea and served his country in several education-related posts. 

South Korea’s Education Ministry has credited him with pioneering works on educational innovation, including “Teacher Policy Reform (1998)” and “Five-year National Human Resources Development Plan (2004)”, which became turning points in the modern history of Korean education.

He would go on to serve as senior education specialist with the World Bank in Washington DC, working on education-related projects involving China, Colombia, Jamaica, Barbados, Eritrea, Mauritius and Jordan.

Between 2005 and 2008, he served as South Korea’s deputy education minister. 

His natural charisma and flair for organising diverse stakeholders around a common goal, which would later come to typify his term as UNESCO Bangkok director, became apparent during this period. 

He coordinated cross-ministerial human resources development policy initiatives and launched the “Global Human Resources Forum” in Seoul in November 2006.

In 2009, he took up the post of director of UNESCO Bangkok.

UNESCO Bangkok mourns Dr Kim’s passing and has vowed to carry forward his precious legacy of finding strength in diversity and building peace through education.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323921

 

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