"What About 3rd Year High School Students?" April 24th Academic Assessment Virtually Canceled, Students and Parents 'Frustrated'

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On the morning of October 15 last year, a third-year student at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul, is waiting to take the 'National Joint Academic Achievement Evaluation,' the last mock exam before the 2020 College Scholastic Ability Test. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] "Shouldn't the senior year students' grade evaluation be conducted?"

As the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs, approximately 5.4 million elementary, middle, and high school students nationwide have all shifted to remote classes. On the 20th, the Ministry of Education sent an official letter to all metropolitan and provincial offices of education, notifying that in-person attendance is not possible. Accordingly, the nationwide joint academic assessment, originally scheduled by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education for the 12th of last month, was postponed five times and will now be conducted remotely on the 24th.

Some examinees preparing for this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and their parents have raised critical voices against the Ministry of Education's policy, saying "alternative measures should have been prepared." While they understand the measures are to prevent the spread of COVID-19, they argue that the students' perspectives were not sufficiently considered.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education disclosed the official letter sent by the Ministry of Education on the same day. The office explained, "According to the Ministry's guidelines, since in-person attendance is not possible, conducting the academic assessment on the scheduled date is difficult, and after consultation with other metropolitan and provincial offices of education, it was judged that postponement is also challenging due to academic calendar burdens. Therefore, the assessment will be held on the 24th without in-person attendance, using a remote learning program."

Accordingly, all senior high school students nationwide will visit their schools on the morning of the 24th to receive test papers via 'drive-through' or 'walking-through' methods, then return home to take the exam independently. However, considering the distribution time of the test papers, the exam will start one hour later than usual, at 9:40 a.m. instead of 8:40 a.m.

The education office also announced that it will not conduct nationwide grading or score processing for this academic assessment. Consequently, examinees and parents preparing for the December CSAT continue to criticize the decision, emphasizing that score processing is important because study plans, target universities, and elective subjects may change based on the first mock exam grades.

According to popular entrance exam communities such as Sumanhwi (Suneungnalmanjeom Siheomjireul Hwinallija) and Orbi, students expressed frustration with comments like "What use is a remote exam?" and "It's worse than not taking it at all."

On the afternoon of the 31st of last month, books related to the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) were placed in the teachers' office of Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul, which was designated as a pilot school for remote education.
Photo by Yonhap News

Some have also pointed out that the method of visiting schools in person to receive test papers is inappropriate. Students who use public transportation for commuting face infection risks because they must travel during peak rush hours when crowds are dense.

Examinee A said, "If we take the exam at home, I don't think everyone will properly solve the problems. Moreover, if scores are not processed, doesn't that mean we won't know the grade cutoffs either?" He lamented, "It's essentially a meaningless exam."

He added, "The school is far away, so it would take about an hour and a half round trip. Thinking about wasting time in the morning just to pick up unnecessary test papers stresses me out again. Wouldn't it be better if the school or education office posted the exam questions on their website? I don't understand why they don't try simple methods."

Parent B, who has a child preparing for the CSAT, said, "It seems they don't understand how important mock exams are for senior students before the CSAT. It's a regrettable measure."

B added, "Of course, I also oppose normal in-person attendance. But working adults go to work, and last week we even had a general election. It's frustrating that students can't attend for just a few hours to take a mock exam. They should have considered measures like prior disinfection and using classrooms of first and second graders."

Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, reiterated that students' safety is the top priority in deciding whether to attend school.

In an interview with SBS 'News 8' on the 20th, Minister Yoo said, "We agreed to continue social distancing until May 5. The top priority in deciding the school attendance timing is the safety of the children. Therefore, I believe we must make very careful judgments. If we switch to everyday quarantine on May 5, we expect to decide and announce the school attendance timing accordingly."

When asked whether senior students would start school first on May 6, she replied, "We will inspect the school's quarantine system in advance and ensure thorough preparations so that children can attend school safely. While we will conduct these inspections, we must be cautious about immediately starting in-person attendance on the 6th."

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