Although Online School Started... High School Seniors' Parents Say, "If They Can't Post Attendance Comments, Do I Have to Do It?"

850,000 9th and 12th Graders Start from the 9th
Attendance Rate Hits 98.8% on First Day
No EBS Outages on Second Day

Almost No Interaction Raises Concerns Over Learning Gaps
Most Students Recognized Present by Watching EBS Lectures and Submitting Assignments

Will Prolonged Period Cause Learning Gaps?

#. "From the first day of online school opening on the 9th, students have to post attendance comments in the class section of the school website between 7 and 8 a.m. to be recognized as present. If the child doesn’t manage this on their own, they might miss attendance. Since my child is a high school senior, I’m very worried. When they miss it, I wonder if I should post the comment for them, and as a parent, it causes me some conflict." (High school senior parent A)

#. "Some classes for high school seniors seemed to be taught directly by teachers, but most used EBS lectures. Since both parents work, the child’s self-motivation is crucial, and I worry whether this can be maintained steadily while I’m at work. On the other hand, I’m concerned that since formal classes won’t be held again, the online school opening might actually cause a bigger learning gap." (High school senior parent B)

About 850,000 students in 9th grade and 12th grade faced an unprecedented online school opening on the 9th. The attendance rate on the first day of online school was 98.8%, higher than that of in-person school openings. On the second day, remote classes proceeded without connection errors. However, parents and students felt that attendance itself held little meaning, and concerns about system instability, excessive assignment submissions, and learning gaps were widespread.

First, since each school operates remote classes differently, there are concerns about learning disparities. In reality, interactive classes are expected to be almost nonexistent except in some private high schools. The consensus is that it is better to use interactive sessions only during morning homeroom and conduct classes using content. Regarding the content used in classes, some schools allow students to watch videos filmed by subject teachers and ask questions, but some schools conduct classes by having students watch existing EBS lecture videos and submit assignments only.

On the 30th, ahead of the government's announcement regarding the opening of elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, a classroom at Yeongpung Elementary School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, was empty. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the first day of school opening, the organization "Society Without Private Education Concerns" held an online video conference to hear parents’ opinions. Parents of high school seniors said that although they approached the first day with tension, they worried that as the situation prolongs, the quality of remote classes would decline and that there would be a gap in academic counseling since they have not actually met teachers even once.

Parent A said, "If they just turn on EBS, every child’s level is different, and since they haven’t even seen their homeroom teachers’ faces, I hope teachers think about how to communicate with students. If it’s difficult to study together and keep pace, it would be good to provide academic counseling."

Parent C, who has a 9th-grade student, expressed concerns about academic gaps. C said, "The homeroom teacher provided a pre-recorded moral lecture video, English was taught through videos filmed directly by the teacher, social studies through YouTube links, and math through EBS links. For music, students listen to six videos and submit assignments to be recognized as present." C added, "A guardian who manages and cares is necessary, but if that’s not the case, and when compared to children who go to academies without rest, I worry most about how much the academic gap will widen."

Parents of middle and high school students facing school opening on the 16th also could not shake their anxiety.

Parent D said, "The biggest worry about online classes is the 'n-beonbang' incident," referring to a notorious case, "There is no media education on video etiquette, and although I checked the Ministry of Education’s remote class guidelines, the school just told us to read them and moved on."

D also pointed out, "Private tutoring and small-group academies continue to operate, so private tutoring depends on parents’ economic power, and the gap between children advancing through private education is widening." This was a critique of the situation where children with low participation in online school just check attendance without meaning, and this is blamed solely on individual irresponsibility.

On the 9th, when nationwide middle and high schools started online classes beginning with 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students, a teacher at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul, opened the morning assembly online and took attendance in the classroom. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

E, a high school senior, said, "Among friends, some say online school opening is a bit easier and better than before school started, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is really concentrating on classes." E added, "Each teacher’s class method is different, which is also inconvenient."

The organization "Society Without Private Education Concerns," which held the conference that day, suggested, "Educational stakeholders including parents, teachers, students, and schools must not be excluded from the Ministry of Education’s decision-making process. Only by working together to establish alternatives can we wisely solve the current educational challenges."

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