GED Exam Postponed... Should School Opening Be Delayed Again? Ministry of Education Faces Dilemma (Comprehensive)

Elementary, Middle, and High School Equivalency Exams
Postponed by One Month, Held on May 9

"School Opening Delayed After April"
Over 60,000 Agree in National Petition

Ministry of Education: No Change in School Opening Schedule on 23rd

Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The education authorities have decided to postpone the elementary, middle, and high school qualification exams originally scheduled for April 11 by about a month, rescheduling them to May 9. This measure is aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Along with this, voices calling for an additional delay of the April 23 school reopening to prevent further spread of COVID-19 continue to emerge. The Ministry of Education is deeply concerned as an additional delay in school reopening could cause significant disruptions to normal academic operations.

On the 13th, the 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education and the Ministry of Education announced that the first qualification exam will be postponed and held on May 9. A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official explained, "There are students who enter middle or high school after the qualification exam, and considering that they need to complete two-thirds of the required school days to earn their grade, we postponed it as much as possible." In this way, the education authorities are walking a tightrope between the COVID-19 situation and the 'deadline' for school reopening in the academic calendar.

For now, the Ministry of Education is somewhat negative about further postponements. A Ministry of Education official said on the day, "We plan to listen more to the opinions of each metropolitan and provincial office of education and superintendents, as well as the opinions of schools." So far, the Ministry has been preparing to carry out all academic schedules based on the April 23 reopening. On the previous day, Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye also said, "Whether to postpone further is a matter to be judged by synthesizing opinions from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and experts," adding, "We are preparing based on the April 23 reopening for now."

However, in addition to demands from some students and parents for an additional delay in school reopening, voices in the National Assembly are also pressuring the Ministry of Education to prioritize blocking the infectious disease over adhering strictly to the academic schedule. Shin Sang-jin, a doctor and member of the Future United Party, told the National Assembly's COVID-19 Countermeasures Special Committee on the 12th, "It will not subside by April. If a hasty decision (to reopen schools) leads to a cluster infection, the damage could be greater," and urged Deputy Minister of Education Park Baek-beom to "take about a month or more to allow for more time."

The education authorities hesitate to delay school reopening further because it would require a comprehensive overhaul of the academic schedule, including restructuring the curriculum to secure the 'instructional hours' reduced by fewer school days. There are concerns that such measures could even affect the schedule of the university entrance exam (College Scholastic Ability Test) in November. As of this day, more than 60,000 people have agreed to a petition posted on the Blue House's National Petition site on the 9th, requesting "Please postpone school reopening until after April."

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