"What About Student Safety?" Students' Anxiety Grows Amid 'Total Opposition to School Reopening'

Starting Tomorrow (27th), 2nd Year High School, 3rd Year Middle School, 1st-2nd Grade Elementary, and Kindergarten Students Return to School
Policy Announced to Limit Attendance to Two-Thirds
Students Launch '#DeunggyoGaehakBandae' Hashtag Campaign on Twitter
Active Health Teacher Also Submits Petition Opposing Return to School
Ministry of Education Establishes Ongoing Cooperation System with Health Authorities to Prepare for In-Person Classes

On the 25th, two days before in-person classes for 11th graders, 9th graders, 1st and 2nd graders, and kindergarten students resume, a homeroom teacher is preparing for students' in-person classes in a 3rd-grade classroom at Hangang Middle School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Following the return of high school seniors, students in 11th grade, 9th grade, 1st and 2nd grade elementary school, and kindergarteners are scheduled to return to school tomorrow (the 27th), but on social media, a movement opposing the reopening of schools is spreading.

From the first day of high school seniors' return to school, confirmed cases of COVID-19 among high school students have been reported in Incheon and Daegu, raising concerns about potential cluster infections.

On the 25th, the hashtag '#OpposeSchoolReopening' trended in real-time tweets on the social networking service Twitter.

Students posted with hashtags such as 'OpposeSchoolReopening' and 'PleaseListenToStudents' Opinions,' encouraging participation in the total opposition to school reopening. Posts related to opposing school reopening exceeded 100,000 as of 9 a.m. on the 26th.

They urged to postpone school reopening, saying, "Is the country's priority students' education or health?", "Are adults sending students to school amid an epidemic just for their own convenience?", and "Studying is important, but student safety is more important."

However, the Ministry of Education maintains its position to proceed with school reopening as scheduled. Earlier, on the 24th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye held a briefing on additional support measures for school reopening and announced, "From the 27th, 11th grade high school students, 9th grade middle school students, 1st and 2nd grade elementary students, and kindergarteners will return to school as planned."

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo added, "We recommend that the number of students attending school does not exceed two-thirds of the total students, and we will coordinate with education offices to apply academic operation methods such as alternating weeks or alternating days."

Accordingly, starting with high school seniors, on the 27th, 11th graders, 9th graders, 1st and 2nd graders, and kindergarteners will return to school; on the 3rd of next month, 10th graders, 8th graders, and 3rd and 4th graders; and on the 8th, 7th graders and 5th and 6th graders will sequentially begin school reopening.

On the 25th, the hashtag '#AgainstSchoolReopening' was posted in real-time tweets on the social networking service (SNS) Twitter. Students encouraged participation in the total opposition to school reopening by posting hashtags such as 'AgainstSchoolReopening' and 'PleaseListenToStudents' on their posts. Photo by Twitter Capture

The problem is that cases of students and teachers testing positive are increasing. Especially with the return of young children such as kindergarteners, anxiety is growing. On the 24th, an art academy instructor in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, was confirmed positive, and on the 25th, a 6-year-old boy who attended the instructor's class was also confirmed positive. It is understood that about 100 children, including kindergarteners and elementary students, attend this art academy.

On the first day of high school seniors' return on the 20th, confirmed cases among high school students occurred in Incheon and Daegu. Two high school seniors in Incheon were infected after staying at 'Top Coin Karaoke' in Michuhol-gu, which was visited by students of a 25-year-old Incheon academy instructor who was infected after visiting Itaewon King Club earlier this month.

The Daegu high school senior tested positive after undergoing a specimen test the day after entering the dormitory on the afternoon of the 19th.

Given this situation, there are concerns that it could lead to cluster infections. On the 21st, a petitioner identifying as a health teacher posted a petition titled 'Who is school reopening for?' on the Blue House's public petition board.

The petitioner said, "During breaks, students take off their masks, hug each other, and link arms. Does the school look safe to you?" and added, "Try coming to school for just one day. If you tell children not to move during breaks, will they listen like robots? Come and see for yourself, and if you still think the quarantine is safe, then keep the school open."

They continued, "It took 45 minutes to check the temperature of just one grade because students did not maintain distancing at all, and despite almost all teachers supervising, it was chaotic. Even with just one grade attending for one day, the school was a mess," urging, "Cancel school reopening."

In response, the Ministry of Education stated in a press release, "We have established a continuous cooperation system with health authorities to check necessary measures for school quarantine according to changes in the COVID-19 situation and are making thorough preparations for school quarantine in anticipation of the start of in-person classes."

Meanwhile, the Ministry plans to implement various academic operation methods to minimize school density. Depending on conditions at each school and education office, they will apply alternating weeks by grade or class, alternating days between in-person and remote classes, and a two-shift system with morning and afternoon sessions.

Additionally, to address concerns about COVID-19 infection, even if parents choose not to send their children to school and opt for 'home study,' it will be recognized as attendance under off-campus experiential learning.

Especially, if rapid and proactive measures are needed regarding COVID-19, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, education offices, and schools will operate a 24-hour hotline for response.

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