10
▲ The May 18 Education Forum 2022 speakers: (from left) Sunjoon Hwang, Maria Filipsson, Jonas Bolander, and Joakim Östling.
FEATURE
The May 18 Education Forum 2022 An Interview with the Speakers
Gwangju News, July 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
By Jana Milosavljevic
T
he month of May in Gwangju is for remembering thousands of Gwangju citizens who rose up against the military junta oppression in May 1980, those who survived, and those who did not, and as such, is marked by various events and vigils. Among the many events keeping the spirit of the Gwangju Democratization Movement alive, the May 18 Education Forum took place last May 27 under the title “May 18 Democratic Uprising Meets Swedish Civic Education.” The Forum focused on exchange in the area of democratic civic education through a conversation with the invited educators from Sweden, where political participation through civic education has already become commonplace. Following presentations and discussions, the speakers, some of whom were present at the Gwangju Institute of Creative Convergence Education venue, and some of whom joined online, engaged in a real-time
2022�07��.indd 10
online Q&A session with teachers and education staff in Gwangju. The speakers also took the time to answer a couple of questions and share their experiences and impressions of the Forum with our Gwangju News readers. Gwangju News (GN): First of all, thank you for making time for this interview. It was our great pleasure to have you as speakers at the May 18 Education Forum. To begin with, could each of you tell us briefly about yourself, including your background? Jonas Bolander: I have a teaching degree in social science and Swedish for years 1–7. I worked as a teacher for 11 years and as a vice principal for eight years before I became a principal. When I worked as a vice principal, I was responsible for children enrolled in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. Being responsible for students
2022-06-24 �� 3:45:43
