Figures released by the Education Ministry last week showed the number of children from multicultural families attending elementary, middle and high schools across the country stood at 82,536 as of April, accounting for 1.4 percent of all students. This represents a 21.7 percent increase from a year earlier.

In particular, more than 2 percent of elementary school pupils had multicultural backgrounds. The number of multicultural students is set to continue to rise sharply, with about 5 percent of newborn babies born in multiethnic families in recent years.

The country’s education system needs to cope with the changing demographics of students in a consistent and positive way to help Korea transform into a harmonious multicultural society.

Multicultural students should be educated to become full members of society. With their diverse backgrounds, they might grow up to play a valuable role in making Korean society more diverse and inclusive.

To our regret, the reality is far from this hope. Nearly all multicultural children enter primary school but only about 70 percent of them enter middle school. The proportion of multicultural students who have graduated from high school is thought to be far below 50 percent, with few of them admitted into universities. Most of these undereducated children will likely end up being jobless, with little hope for their future.

Unless this worrying situation changes, it will become yet another cause for social instability. Consistent and persistent efforts should be made to enable children from multicultural families to be properly educated and become good citizens who contribute to enhancing the stability and prosperity of our society.

The increasing population of multicultural children, whose number has exceeded 200,000, should be welcome for a country that sees its future being overshadowed by a falling birthrate coupled with a rapidly aging population. According to data from the national statistics office, the proportion of working-age people — those aged between 15 and 64 — in Korea is forecast to decrease from its peak of 72.9 percent in 2016 to 49.7 percent in 2060. The core working-age population aged 25-49 has already shrunk since 2006.

Given this demographic projection, people with multicultural backgrounds should be accepted and treated as indispensable members of Korean society. A key step toward consolidating this atmosphere is to revise school textbooks that give an impression that multicultural families are abnormal. This perception should be abandoned and replaced with a more positive view.

Efforts should also be stepped up to instill multicultural elements into school curriculums to help students adapt to the changes in society