Ministry of Education to Announce School Reopening Decision in Early May... "Preparing Measures for Surge in Emergency Childcare"

Urgent Care Demand Surges, Measures Planned
Prioritizing Dual-Income Families with Lower Grades
Focused Inspection on Academies Managing Online Classes

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Ministry of Education announced on the 21st that it plans to announce the timing and method of school reopening in early May.

Park Baek-beom, Vice Minister of Education, said at a briefing with reporters after a meeting with deputy superintendents of education from 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education and the new semester opening preparation task force, "We will announce the timing of school reopening in connection with whether the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) transitions to a daily quarantine system."

He added, "This will be in early May, but it is currently difficult to answer when exactly the school reopening will take place, whether it will be sequential by grade or simultaneous."

The Ministry of Education plans to go through three procedures to decide the timing and method of school reopening. From the 20th to the 26th, consultations will be held with infectious disease experts and related government agencies such as the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Then, from the 27th to the 1st of next month, opinions from teachers and parents will be collected. Finally, from the 2nd to the 5th of next month, the CDSCH will evaluate the preparedness for daily quarantine and announce whether the transition to the daily quarantine system will occur, based on which the school reopening will be decided.

Meanwhile, as the timing of school reopening has not been set, the demand for emergency care has increased, and measures considering the supply conditions of each school will be prepared. The Ministry plans to maximize the use of the workforce by mobilizing after-school instructors and retired teachers, prioritizing the needs of dual-income couples with young children, and additionally providing care for students who absolutely need it, such as those from single-parent or grandparent-headed families. If school care is difficult, linkage with local care institutions is also being considered.

In addition, the Ministry of Education plans to intensively inspect academies managing online school classes. If academies operate, they must strictly comply with quarantine guidelines, and if caught managing online classes, their registration may be canceled or all or part of their teaching courses may be suspended. Currently, the nationwide academy closure rate is 17.8%.

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