Amid Concerns Over Spread in the Capital Area, 5.95 Million Students Complete Returning to School... Education Sector on Edge

Opening of Middle School for 5th and 6th Grade Elementary Students and 1st Year Middle School Students
All Return to School After 99 Days

On the 8th, when the fourth phase of in-person classes for first-year middle school and fifth- and sixth-grade elementary students began, first-year students were heading to school at a middle school in Seoul. According to the Ministry of Education, 1.35 million first-year middle school and fifth- and sixth-grade elementary students attended school that day, marking 98 days since the original school start date of March 2 this year. Previously, third-year high school students first returned to school on the 20th of last month, followed by a phased return for each grade. With this day's attendance, a total of 5.95 million elementary, middle, and high school students nationwide began in-person classes for the first semester of this year. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 8th, all 5.95 million students attending kindergartens, elementary, middle, high schools, and special schools nationwide completed their return to school. Fifth and sixth graders in elementary school and first graders in middle school began attending classes in person on this day. This marks the completion of in-person attendance for all grades 99 days after the official return-to-school date. However, with the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) not subsiding, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area, parents and the education sector remain on high alert.

Parents with elementary school children said, "Since the kids have to wear masks all day at school, they don't really want to go," adding, "Even though today was their first day back, they responded by saying what's the point of going to school just once a week." Other parents also expressed concerns about infection but felt they had no choice but to send their children to school, with most responding, "It can't be helped."

Despite growing public opinion against returning to school, the Ministry of Education is determined to enforce it, focusing intensely on quarantine measures to prevent cluster infections. The day before, they held a video conference with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and agreed to regularize work coordination. Although no secondary transmission through infections within schools has occurred so far, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area, the situation is not considered safe. The KDCA recommended allowing students to take off their masks and breathe freely outdoors during lunch or break times while maintaining sufficient distance.

They are also tightening control over private academies where close contact among students can occur. Recently, many confirmed cases have been reported in academies as well. The Ministry of Education plans to amend the Act on the Establishment, Operation, and Tuition of Private Academies (Hakwon Act) to restrict academy operations. They will establish regulations requiring users and operators to mandatorily comply with quarantine rules, and if violations accumulate penalty points, sanctions such as fines or business suspension will be imposed.

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