Temperature Differences by Grade in Online School Opening: Middle and High School Seniors Express 'Dissatisfaction'

The Anti-Corruption and Education Offices Conduct Online School Opening Satisfaction Survey

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] It has been revealed that there were clear differences in satisfaction levels by grade regarding the online school opening due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation. While 66.5% of parents with elementary school children responded that they were satisfied, the satisfaction rate among parents of third-year middle and high school students was below 50%.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, together with the Ministry of Education, conducted an online school opening satisfaction survey on the 'National Thinking Box' platform from the 29th of last month to the 6th of this month, and announced the results on the 14th. A total of 1,099 people participated in the survey, including 580 parents.

While 61.2% of parents responded that they were satisfied with the online school opening, there was a significant difference by grade level.

Among parents with elementary school children, 66.5% responded that they were satisfied.

On the other hand, only 45.1% and 37.5% of parents with third-year middle and high school children, respectively, responded that they were satisfied.

The most common reason for dissatisfaction with the online school opening was "students are unable to properly carry out the educational programs on their own," accounting for 60%.

This was followed by "dissatisfaction with educational content" at 27.7%, and "ineffectiveness in preventing infectious diseases" at 5.6%.

Other opinions included "excessive burden on parents of lower grades and dual-income families," "educational disparities depending on the level of school interest," "server and connection instability," and "excessive use of computers and smartphones."

Among the opinions presented by elementary school parents, the most common request regarding the online school opening was for the Ministry of Education or each education office to take the lead in developing common content by grade to improve the quality of education and reduce disparities between schools and teacher burdens.

Parents of middle and high school students mainly suggested improvements such as "priority attendance for third-year middle and high school students," "attendance by day (mid-term check by grade)," and "establishing measures for two-way communication between teachers and students (smooth Q&A)."

In particular, the main reason for wanting priority attendance for third-year middle and high school students was most frequently cited as "the occurrence of academic achievement gaps."

This reflects dissatisfaction and anxiety over the deepening gap depending on household circumstances, as private academy classes are being conducted normally unlike schools.

There was also a desire to strengthen online education platforms during this opportunity and to develop content that can be exported abroad in the future.

The results of this online school opening satisfaction survey and the improvement suggestions will be used as reference materials for future policy decisions by the Ministry of Education.

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