Additional School Opening Delays Confirmed... Ministry of Education Faces Mountain of Academic Schedule Challenges

Results of School Opening Delay Meeting to Be Announced Tomorrow
School Opening Delayed 2 More Weeks Means 'Level 2 Closure'
Legal School Days Reduced by One-Tenth

Midterm and Final Exams in 1st Semester Postponed
Domino Effect May Delay College Scholastic Ability Test
Confusion Likely to Increase Among Grade 12 Students

The above photo is not related to the article. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As the additional delay of school openings for kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide becomes certain, revisions to the overall academic schedule, including the first semester midterm and final exams and the College Scholastic Ability Test, have become inevitable.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Education held an internal meeting regarding the delay of school openings due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and plans to announce the results on the 17th.

The education sector expects a high possibility of a nationwide additional delay of 1 to 2 weeks. If the Ministry of Education postpones the school opening by two more weeks, the opening date will be delayed to the 6th of next month. Along with the delay in school openings, the closure stage will also be raised to stage 2. In stage 1, the legal number of school days was met by shortening summer and winter vacations, but with stage 2, the legal number of school days is expected to be reduced within a range of one-tenth.

As the school opening is delayed, it will be difficult to conduct midterm exams, usually held in late April or early May, as normal tests. In particular, for high school seniors, the admission process, including early admissions, will be postponed, causing significant confusion. To submit applications for early admissions in early September, student records must be finalized by August 31, but currently, it is widely expected that meeting this deadline will be difficult. If the school opening is postponed to April, the nationwide joint academic assessment scheduled for the 2nd of next month may also be delayed.

The issue of emergency childcare and discussions regarding non-regular workers in schools have also become urgent. The National School Non-Regular Workers' Union plans to hold discussions with the Ministry of Education this week regarding the treatment of cooks, science assistants, and after-school care teachers, and if the school opening is delayed again, additional support expansion measures will be required. These workers have not received three-quarters of their March wages due to the three-week delay in school openings. Kim Dong-in, Legal Director of the School Non-Regular Workers' Union, stated, "Since the closure was decided independently by the Ministry of Education and local education offices, closure allowances should be paid."

In the education field, as this is expected to be the last additional delay of school openings, voices are calling for the Ministry of Education to issue guidelines on detailed measures such as quarantine after school opening, mask supply, securing classrooms for lessons, and responses in case of confirmed cases. A local education office official said, "If a confirmed case occurs, it is time to have more specific discussions on how to close classes and supplement the school curriculum."

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