"COVID-19 Impact: Widening Educational Gap Among Students Due to 'Online Classes'"

Sagyoyuk Geokjeong Eomneun Sesang, Survey of 1,000 Participants
65.4% Do Not Fully Understand Learning Content Through Online Classes Alone
Urgent Need for Legislation... 63.8%

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] A public opinion survey revealed that 'online classes' conducted after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) could deepen the educational gap among students.

The education civic group, Education Concern-Free World, conducted a survey on this topic targeting 1,000 men and women nationwide aged 18 and older and announced the results on the 9th. Regarding the claim that "online classes have made parents' educational background and economic power have a significant impact on the educational gap among students," 62.0% responded "agree." This figure is about twice as high as those who "disagree (32.4%)." In particular, agreement was higher among those in their 40s and 50s, who are age groups with school-age children, at 63.8% and 66.5%, respectively, compared to the overall rate.

When asked, "Can students fully understand the learning content through online classes alone?" 65.4% responded that they "would not understand well." This question showed that in all categories?by region, age group, gender, presence of children, and household income?the response "would not understand well" was higher than "would understand well." Especially, 7 out of 10 respondents with children in elementary, middle, or high school answered that students would not understand well.

Support for prioritizing the enactment of education-related laws to resolve the educational gap caused by COVID-19 also exceeded two-thirds at 63.8%. By region, support was highest in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (79.1%), followed by Gyeonggi and Incheon (68.9%), and Seoul (66.6%), all higher than the overall rate.

Education Concern-Free World stated, "We need to identify the structure where parents' backgrounds are inherited and enact special laws to block this," adding, "We should apply blind recruitment methods to all companies and admissions, create related laws to provide university admission qualifications for students who achieve certain grades or higher, and also enact a Child Rights Act that restricts early private education for infants and toddlers."

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