"Struggling with Academic Calendar Changes" Teachers Sigh as Third School Opening Postponed

Nationwide Kindergarten and Elementary to High School Opening Delayed to Next Month 6
Teachers "Stress from Continuous Academic Schedule Changes"
Ministry of Education "Will Flexibly Adjust School Opening Timing"

Amid ongoing discussions about postponing the start of the school year for kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, a notice about the suspension of school facility access is posted at a high school in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] "This is already the third time we are revising the curriculum operation plan."

As the school opening schedule continues to be postponed due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), teachers are facing untold difficulties. Teacher A, in their 20s and working at a high school in Seoul, said, "It feels like a futile effort to keep revising the plan," adding, "It would be better to set a generous period until COVID-19 is over and, if necessary, decide to postpone the school opening until May or June."

A said, "The schedule has been postponed three times already, each by one to two weeks, but how long will this continue?" and lamented, "We have to set the academic calendar and then plan the progress and evaluation for each grade accordingly, but every time the postponement is extended, we have to redo the plans."

They continued, "Of course, it is also difficult to establish long-term plans for each semester or for the entire year," and added, "Not setting a fixed school opening date and saying it could be moved forward or delayed only causes confusion for both students and teachers."

Fearing cluster infections of COVID-19, the education authorities have consecutively announced postponements of school openings for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide. On the 17th, the Ministry of Education decided on a 'third postponement of school opening' to prevent cluster and regional infections. The Ministry also announced guidelines on quarantine management to minimize confusion at schools. Accordingly, each city and provincial education office and schools will reduce ten days of closure during the 4th to 5th weeks of the postponement from the legally mandated number of school days (190 days for elementary, middle, and high schools; 180 days for kindergartens).

Additionally, the Ministry of Education stated that the number of class hours (credit units) can also be reduced proportionally to the reduction in school days. However, depending on the spread of COVID-19, there remains the possibility of a 'fourth postponement' or opening schools before April 6.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

With the successive postponements of school openings, each school and class is undertaking a comprehensive adjustment of the academic calendar. As a result, many teachers express difficulty in establishing curriculum operation plans due to the repeatedly changed school opening dates. Since semester operation and the number of school days are uncertain, it inevitably causes disruptions in planning. This is especially true for high schools, which must also conduct college entrance counseling and assist with writing self-introduction letters for comprehensive student records beyond the regular curriculum.

Teachers unanimously reported high work-related stress due to these reasons. Teacher B said, "It takes a long time just to create evaluation and class hour plans, and those plans must be cross-checked and revised with other teachers," adding, "Besides that, there are many parts to revise, such as departmental plans, curriculum operation plans, and academic calendars."

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye announced on the 17th that the new school term nationwide will be further postponed to April 6, explaining the background of the decision by saying, "Experts from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have suggested that at least two to three weeks from now are needed for a safe school opening."

She added, "After consulting with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and closely monitoring the progress of the infection, the timing and method of school opening will be flexibly adjusted." Regarding the postponement of college entrance schedules, various alternative plans are being considered.

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