'Online School Opening for Elementary, Middle, and High Schools' Smoother Than First Round... Some Disconnection Issues Persist

Frequent Connection Errors in Early 9 AM
Preparation for Education Authority Server Expansion

On the 16th, when nationwide high school 1st and 2nd graders, middle school 1st and 2nd graders, and elementary school 4th to 6th graders began online classes, the principal at Yongsan Elementary School in Seoul greeted the students online. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Byungdon Yoo] "Friends who cannot access e-Hakseupteo, please enter through Google Drive and watch the corresponding video."

At 9 a.m. on the 16th, in an empty classroom of Class 7, 4th grade at Sindong Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Choi, conducted an online school opening. As previously announced on 'High Class,' students were instructed to log in to 'e-Hakseupteo' to participate in the class, but access was difficult for about five minutes. Out of 32 students, only 3 to 4 completed attendance within 10 minutes.

Accordingly, Mr. Choi urgently notified students to watch the video uploaded on Google Drive. Most teachers are using sites, apps, or social network services (SNS) that allow communication via comments or chat simultaneously with the class as a backup. Students immediately left comments, but the content varied. Some said, "I can't get in," while others said, "It's working well for me, so I will keep listening."

Mr. Choi said, "I had prepared Plan B in advance," adding, "If even this does not work, we will adopt a method of recognizing attendance as long as the class is attended within today." After 30 minutes from the start of the class, the attendance rate rose to 98%. Except for one student, all 32 students in Class 7, 4th grade attended the first period class.

Elementary school students in grades 4 to 6 and middle and high school students in grades 1 and 2 nationwide faced the second online school opening. Although the actual number was 3,127,015, it is estimated that about half did not attend classes. Schools that were used as polling stations the previous day opened after 1 p.m., causing the number of attendees to be dispersed.

On the 16th, when nationwide online classes began for high school 1st-2nd graders, middle school 1st-2nd graders, and elementary school 4th-6th graders, a teacher at Yongsan Elementary School in Seoul is conducting an interactive online class. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The Ministry of Education prepared for the second online school opening by expanding servers and inspecting systems. Accordingly, on this day, EBS Online Class and e-Hakseupteo were difficult to access only in the early 9 a.m. hours but operated normally, albeit slowly, thereafter. Schools that did not use platforms such as EBS Online Class and e-Hakseupteo conducted smooth classes without errors.

Hamo, a 2nd-year student at Janghoon High School living in Singil-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, took out his smartphone about 10 minutes before the first period started. This school does not use EBS Online Class or e-Hakseupteo. Concerned about server errors, they used 'Naver Band' from the start. From 8:40 a.m. for 10 minutes, the homeroom teacher posted a 'morning attendance' notice, and students checked attendance by commenting. Hamo started the new semester life by commenting along with friends whose names he had only heard of on a post by a homeroom teacher whose face he barely knew.

From 9 a.m., online lecture videos were uploaded at 50-minute intervals. Once a video was uploaded, students had to view the post within 5 minutes. The first period class was 'Literature.' There were four lectures uploaded in the morning. However, since no separate timetable was announced, students attended classes without knowing the subjects of the 2nd to 4th periods.

In the afternoon, assignments awaited. At 1:10 p.m., the teacher uploaded assignments based on the morning class content, and students downloaded and completed the answers. Hamo said, "It's called school opening, but I can't properly see my friends' faces, and I don't even know who the homeroom teacher is, so it doesn't feel real," adding, "Among my friends, many only check attendance and do not properly attend classes."

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