The Ministry of Education said Tuesday it would instruct education offices around the country to revise related school rules to support students from multicultural families.

The decision came as a growing number of children are brought here from overseas following their parents’ divorce, remarriage and immigration.

Under the current rules, migrant students require some type of certification or proof of attendance from a previous school to study here.

The revised rule, however, will allow students with difficulties submitting such proof to transfer to local schools after passing an interview process by each education office.

Schools will also be required to provide newly admitted students with Korean language classes, to help them acquire the level of Korean necessary to adjust to the regular school curriculum.

The ministry said it would also establish a legal basis for hiring multilingual teachers to allow students to learn various cultures and different languages.

The increase in ethnic and cultural diversity in Korean society is already reflected in many early childhood classrooms.

According to the ministry, the number of students of different ethnicities increased from 20,174 in 2008 to 50,736 as of April 2013. And the number is expected to reach 70,000 by 2015.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)