Ministry of Education: "No Delay in School Attendance or September Semester System Review, Strengthening Academy Quarantine Measures"

Results of the 15th New Semester Opening Preparation Task Force Meeting
Discussion on Stable Support Measures Ahead of School Attendance

Biweekly and Alternate Day Systems by Grade, Shortened Classes, etc.
"Lowering the CSAT Difficulty Does Not Favor Grade 12 Students"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As new COVID-19 cases related to clubs in Itaewon, Seoul continue to emerge, the Ministry of Education has stated that it is not considering postponing the transition to in-person classes or adopting a September semester system.

On the 14th, after holding the 15th New Semester Opening Preparation Task Force meeting, Deputy Minister of Education Baekbeom Park said in a briefing, "Currently, we are not considering postponing the in-person classes scheduled for next Wednesday (the 20th)," adding, "City and provincial education offices are reviewing many support measures for in-person classes."

Deputy Minister Park said, "There is no change to the difficulty adjustment of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) or university admissions announced last April, and lowering the difficulty does not necessarily benefit the current high school seniors," adding, "It is difficult to reverse a decision once made."

Regarding whether other grades besides high school seniors will attend school, he said, "For grades below the second year of high school, we will monitor the situation and discuss it further, but rather than having all students attend on the first day, we are considering methods such as dividing classes or attending on alternate weeks," adding, "Currently, postponement is not being considered."

On the 11th, as confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) rapidly increased due to the Itaewon club cluster infection, a foreigner is undergoing a diagnostic test at the screening clinic of Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He also drew a clear line on the September semester system. Deputy Minister Park said, "Schools have already started (online) classes and lessons are ongoing," adding, "Whether classes are remote or in-person, there is no reason to discuss changing the semester system at all."

At the meeting held that day, deputy superintendents of city and provincial education offices focused on discussing support measures for stable in-person classes. These included staggered attendance by grade such as alternating weeks or days, simultaneous mirrored classes through class division, operating lunch times by floor, and placing multiple grades on one floor to maximize space utilization. They also shared alternatives such as combining online and offline classes and shortening class hours.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education announced the visit status and test results of native-speaking assistant teachers and staff who visited the Itaewon area between the 24th of last month and the 6th of this month in relation to the Itaewon clubs in Seoul.

Thirty-four native-speaking teachers and seven staff members visited clubs in the Itaewon area; 40 tested negative, and one test is pending. During the same period, 880 teachers visited the Itaewon area, with 641 tested; so far, 527 tested negative and 117 tests are pending. Eleven native-speaking assistant teachers and staff who had contact with confirmed cases from Itaewon clubs all tested negative.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, as infection prevention is becoming increasingly important in private academies due to cases such as an instructor infected at an Itaewon club transmitting the virus to students, the Ministry urged academy owners, instructors, and staff to report their visit history and to visit screening clinics for testing.

The Ministry of Education plans to work with local governments to thoroughly inspect compliance with quarantine rules at multi-use facilities such as private academies, and local governments will issue administrative orders to prohibit gatherings if rules are violated.

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