Hakwon District "Support for Closure Losses" vs Ministry of Education "Let's Monitor the Situation Next Week"

Agreement to Shift Large Academy 'Joint Inspections' to 'Quarantine Support and Inspections'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The government met with frontline academy officials to seek response measures together, urging active participation in closures by academies to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the morning of the 9th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye held a meeting with the Korea Academy Federation at the Education Facility Disaster Mutual Aid Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and listened to the difficulties faced by academies struggling due to closures. The Academy Federation, a corporation authorized by the Ministry of Education, has 67% of the nation's academies (86,435 academies) as members.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Yoo reiterated, "As social distancing is being implemented to contain COVID-19, we ask academies to actively participate in closures."

The Academy Federation agreed on the necessity of closures but requested support measures for academies, citing significant business losses and difficulties caused by closures. They requested support for rent and instructor fees, provision of quarantine supplies such as disinfectants and thermometers, and preferential treatment for loans.

The academy side also expressed the opinion that the focus of the joint inspections of academies scheduled for this week should be on thorough quarantine measures.

Earlier, the Ministry of Education announced that it would conduct on-site inspections mainly targeting large academies this week, accompanied by the National Tax Service and the National Police Agency, which led to complaints from the academy community that "since the government cannot force academy closures, it pressures closures through high-intensity joint inspections."

They also requested guidance and crackdowns to prevent private tutoring or academy-like teaching from occurring in study cafes and similar places due to academy closures.

In response to these demands from the academy side, the Ministry of Education stated that it would continue to consult with related ministries regarding support measures for academies.

However, both sides showed differing views on whether to keep academies closed until next week. The Academy Federation stated, "We will actively participate in closures until this week, but from next week, we will implement closures flexibly, considering regional situations."

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo responded, "It is not an easy decision whether academies can operate next week," adding, "We will comprehensively review the situation, including changes in COVID-19 conditions and judgments from quarantine authorities such as the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency." She continued, "Despite operational difficulties, the active participation of academies in the government's closure recommendations shows the growth of our civic consciousness," and said, "Let us overcome difficulties together through active communication."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.