Ministry of Education to Announce 'School Opening Delay' Today... Concerns Over Prolonged Education Disruption

Announcement Scheduled at 2 PM at Government Complex
High Possibility of April School Opening

"Uncertainty Over When the Situation Will End" Anxiety Remains

Buying Time for Student Mask Procurement
Concrete Measures Expected for Non-Regular Workers

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As the nationwide opening of kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools is postponed once again, parents are trying to ease their anxious minds while also expressing concerns about their children's education.

The current school opening has been delayed by three weeks to March 23. According to the Ministry of Education's announcement on the afternoon of the 17th, if the opening is postponed by one more week, schools will open on March 30; if by two weeks, they will open on April 6. Gu, who has a child about to enter elementary school, said, "I thought the postponement was a natural step due to infection concerns," but added, "I still worry because no one knows when this situation will end."

There are also concerns that the demand for private academies may increase due to the prolonged absence of formal education. A parent with an elementary school child wrote on an internet cafe post, "Since the opening might be postponed again, I think we need to consider long-term private academy study," adding, "We don't know if COVID-19 will subside in two weeks, and we can't keep the child at home all the time." One reason behind the additional postponement is the government's attempt to secure grounds to recommend closures of private academies, but in the field, there is concern that this could have the opposite effect.

Meanwhile, schools have gained time to resolve mask procurement issues. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 16th that they will provide all students with replaceable filter masks. Measures to support non-regular school workers facing difficulties due to reduced school days are also expected to become more concrete. Jang Inhong, Chair of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Education Committee, said, "Children's health is the most important issue, and next is the school's consideration for those who receive salaries linked to classes," adding, "Since the budget is already secured, we are looking into ways to cooperate with the Office of Education or the Ministry of Education in executing it."

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