Asan Medical Center said on the 3rd that its Children's Hospital School, which helps young cancer patients continue their studies during long courses of treatment, has marked its 20th anniversary.
The school opened in August 2006 to help pediatric hematology and oncology patients undergoing extended hospital stays for childhood cancer and leukemia keep up with their schooling without interruption. It serves students of all grade levels, from 7-year-olds preparing to enter elementary school through high school seniors. From 2006 to 2025, about 1,000 patients completed its courses.
The school offers classes in Korean, English and mathematics, along with extracurricular programs in art, crafts and history. Lessons are taught by volunteers, including current and former teachers and instructors in specialized subjects, who donate their time. Instruction is tailored to each patient's grade level and school curriculum, as well as their treatment schedule and health condition on any given day. Some classes are held online in real time and allow two-way interaction, for patients who cannot come to the classroom because of infection risks or other reasons. Under an agreement with the Gangdong-Songpa District Office of Education, the school also receives academic support, including the issuance of course completion certificates and help in running its curriculum. To mark the anniversary, the hospital recently displayed students' drawings, crafts and classroom photographs in the lobby of its new building and presented plaques of appreciation to long-serving volunteers.
"For these children, returning to school and studying and spending time with their friends — an ordinary daily life — is a very important goal," said Kim Hye-ri, principal of the Children's Hospital School and a professor of pediatric hematology and oncology. "We will continue to support our patients so that we can keep the thread of learning intact even during treatment and serve as a firm stepping stone for their healthy return to the classroom."
