UNJournal Jon Lee | The Teachers' International Education Cooperation Society (TIES) visited Uzbekistan's Fergana region from January 12 to 16 to conduct practical exchanges with local educational institutions. The aim is a new model of international education cooperation led directly by teachers, going beyond simple overseas training.
TIES is an international education cooperation network centered on pre-service, in-service, and retired teachers that has continued global citizenship education and education development cooperation activities in Nepal, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and elsewhere in Asia since 2019. This visit to Uzbekistan expanded its sphere of activity within Central Asia.
The core of this 4-night, 5-day schedule was actual educational exchange centered on "New Generation Schools." The visiting group observed local school classes, conducted Korean traditional culture experience lessons, and engaged in in-depth conversations as teachers from both countries compared their respective teaching operation cases and curricula.
The greatest characteristic of this activity was its focus on concrete exchanges at the lesson level and sharing of teacher expertise, rather than formal visiting events. Realistic educational issues such as teacher training methods, student evaluation systems, and regional balance in education were brought to the discussion table.
Participants hailed the program "the most realistic and sustainable diplomacy through education," according to TIES. Unlike inter-governmental diplomacy that rapidly changes according to political and security variables, exchanges between teachers and students can build long-term trust, the NGO explained.
Yoon Young-ho, a teacher at Songdo Middle School, emphasized that "small exchanges starting in the classroom can ultimately change perceptions and relationships between nations in the long term," adding that "international education is not an auxiliary means of diplomacy, but core infrastructure for nurturing future diplomatic talent," according to TIES.
TIES' activities align with Korea's recent emphasis on public, people-centered diplomacy, the NGO stated. It added that "they are demonstrating the potential of personal and educational diplomacy where teachers, students, and citizens become agents beyond government leadership."
TIES reported one public diplomacy expert as saying, "International education cooperation based on teacher networks is a diplomatic asset with high cost-effectiveness and low political burden," one that "can become an important pillar in strengthening relationships with Central Asian and Global South countries."
TIES began its activities in 2019 with a workshop themed "Exploring Desirable Global Citizenship Education and International Education Cooperation." It has continued connecting international issues with educational settings through such activities as field visits to Nepal, invitational workshops for teachers from Indonesia and Cambodia, and lectures given by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi and others on Rohingya refugee issues.
After officially establishing itself as an NGO organization in 2021, it established systems including regular general meetings, monthly meetings, and teacher professional development training and began full-scale activities. From 2022, it expanded programs centered on educational field applications, such as international-exchange open classes and professional development through "Education Created Together Across Borders."
TIES reports that it continues to create practical models of international cooperation through education, following visits to Laos (2023) and Thailand (2024) as a result of its work in Uzbekistan.
TIES plans to continue expanding small-scale educational exchanges with the Central Asian region and develop teacher-centered international cooperation models mediated by global citizenship education in order to provide "a clear answer to the question 'Who can be agents of diplomacy?'"
(translated by AI, edited by David Kendall)
