Elementary, Middle, and High Schools Complete Online Opening for 5.4 Million Students... Remote Classes on Track

Parents Complain About Complex Attendance and Notification Methods for Children
EBS and Other 9 AM Focused Sessions Seem to Be Dispersed to Afternoon

Attention on Exceptional Attendance for March 24th High School Senior Mock Exam
Ministry of Education Sends Official Letter: "Do Not Hold In-Person Exams"

On the 20th, marking the end of the third phase of online school openings for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in elementary school, Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, attended the opening ceremony at Seoul Agricultural School in Jongno-gu, Seoul, delivering a congratulatory speech. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] An unprecedented online school opening for a total of about 5.4 million students from 1st grade elementary to 3rd grade high school has been fully implemented. Following the first phase on April 9 and the second on April 16, the last group of lower elementary students (grades 1?3) also started online classes on the 20th. This comes 50 days after the new semester opening was postponed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Until last week, it was a preparation period to stabilize the Learning Management System (LMS) platform, but now the so-called "main game" has begun. Previously, platforms supported by the education authorities such as EBS Online Class and e-Hakseupter continuously exposed problems like login errors, connection delays, and disconnections after the online school opening. The Ministry of Education is continuously conducting inspections at the online school opening situation room while also preparing for the upcoming return to in-person classes.

◆Remote Classes Becoming a 'Mom's Homework' = As the educational and caregiving roles of schools have shifted to homes, more parents are voicing their difficulties. A parent of a 3rd-grade elementary student said, "Watching the first class today, the learning assignments have to be printed out in advance, and after the child studies, the results must be uploaded to the site, but since the child cannot do this alone, it has effectively become the mother's homework." A parent of a 1st grader said, "At this age, it is more important to learn rules through group activities, but school life with only mom and no friends is meaningless," adding, "Unintentionally, my child is doing advanced learning." Even so, in dual-income families, reliance on emergency care cases is expected to increase. Mr. Koo, who is using emergency care along with the online school opening, said, "Although I feel uneasy about my child living with upper elementary students, since the grandparents cannot manage remote classes, we decided to send the child to emergency care."

On the 9th, when middle and high schools nationwide started online classes beginning with 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students, teachers and students held an online opening ceremony at Junghwa Middle School in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The LMS, which had caused parents' frustration by being 'unresponsive,' is showing some relief from the 9 a.m. login congestion. Except for interactive classes, most remote classes do not require attending at a fixed time, so there is a dispersal effect. Some students start remote classes as early as 7 a.m. or attend classes in the afternoon when fewer users are online. A parent of an upper elementary student said, "If the connection is not smooth in the morning, my child participates by listening at a convenient time during the day," adding, "On mornings when connection errors prevent attending school classes, we mainly assign academy homework."

◆Will the First Mock Exam for 3rd Grade High School Students Be Exempt from 'Return to School'? = So, how long will this unprecedented online school opening last? For now, the Ministry of Education has taken a 'conservative stance' regarding the return to in-person classes. However, improvements to the quarantine environment have already been prepared in line with the return to school. Each school is equipped with thermometers, health masks, cloth masks, and thermal imaging cameras. Disinfection is also conducted regularly. Once the return-to-school date is set, disinfection will be done once more. Currently, schools are conducting mock drills with public health centers to prepare for confirmed cases after the semester starts.

On the 9th, when all middle and high schools nationwide began online classes starting with 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students, a teacher is conducting an online class in a classroom at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Meanwhile, attention is focused on whether the nationwide joint academic assessment hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, postponed once from March to April 24, will be held as scheduled. As this exam is important for establishing college admission strategies, parents' interest and education authorities' concerns are high. To hold it as planned, an exceptional 'return to school' would need to be allowed before the social distancing period ends, but conducting it online would make it difficult to achieve the exam's purpose. A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official said, "We plan to make a decision and announce it by today (the 20th)."

Previously, the Ministry of Education issued a notice to each city and provincial office of education not to hold 'in-person exams.' They instructed schools to decide on conducting exams or using results after the return to school. This could make it difficult for students and parents to understand their national rankings and plan college admission strategies, likely causing dissatisfaction among them.

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