[Reporter’s Notebook] Will the Reopening of Schools Focus Only on 12th and 9th Graders?

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Ministry of Education will officially hold a meeting on the 28th to discuss reopening schools for in-person classes. The task force meeting, which had been focused on preparing for the new semester aligned with online classes, has been elevated to a meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, with participation from superintendents of education from cities and provinces nationwide, as the discussion shifts to reopening schools for in-person attendance. Considering the remarks made by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun the day before, it appears that a plan to prioritize the return of 9th graders (middle school 3rd year) and 12th graders (high school 3rd year), who are preparing for college entrance exams, will be intensively reviewed.

The reason for specifically selecting 9th and 12th graders, rather than all high school grades 1 through 3, is because these grades are preparing for entrance exams. The midterm exams scheduled for the end of May are an urgent issue. If the exam schedule is further disrupted, there are concerns that it could cause confusion with deadlines for comprehensive student records and grading of performance assessments. The schedule for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is also tight, making it difficult to postpone again. Of course, from the education authorities' perspective, entrance exams may be the most important, but from the viewpoint of education consumers, entrance exams are not everything.

Before the announcement of reopening schools for in-person classes, there are European countries that have made decisions completely opposite to ours. The Netherlands, Denmark, and France are pushing to reopen elementary schools first. Although there is considerable opposition to this as well, the primary judgment was to reduce the childcare burden on parents and enable a quicker return to economic activities. France has decided to replace all graduation exams and the general, professional, and technical Baccalaureate (university entrance qualification exams) with in-school academic achievement assessments. Although the CSAT date (December 3) is much later than the Baccalaureate (usually in June), it is curious whether the education authorities have the courage to boldly abandon university entrance exams. How will they respond if another infectious disease outbreak occurs this winter?

Online classes for lower elementary grades are called 'parent-led school openings.' 'Mom-led school openings' might be a more accurate term. Communication with teachers mostly goes through mothers, and homework uploads are also handled by mothers. In households where mothers do not have a role, proper school reopening may not have been experienced yet. Grandparent-headed and single-parent families are taking on the responsibility of education and childcare for children who cannot attend school, even under difficult living conditions.

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