Ministry of Education Begins Developing Plans to Expand Real-Time Interactive Remote Classes in Second Semester

Real-time Interactive Classes at 12.9% Level
"Offline Classes Should Not Simply Be Moved Online"
Urgent Need to Build Home and School Network Infrastructure

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Ministry of Education has begun preparing measures to expand interactive remote classes.

On the 16th, a Ministry of Education official said, "Students and parents have continuously requested an increase in real-time interactive classes," adding, "We plan to discuss ways to expand interactive classes compared to the current level with metropolitan and provincial offices of education and teacher organizations for the upcoming second semester."

Since the unprecedented online school opening in April, each school has been conducting in-person classes alongside remote learning. The proportion of remote classes is still higher than in-person attendance. The remote class format mainly involved a simple method where teachers provide content and students complete assignments. According to the Ministry of Education, currently, only about 12.9% of classes are conducted in a real-time interactive format.

The Ministry of Education believes that since student participation is high in real-time interactive classes, this method can help bridge the educational gap caused by remote learning. At the Yeongnam region metropolitan and provincial superintendents' meeting held at the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hye proposed, "Let's discuss curriculum restructuring to reduce educational disparities, activation of real-time interactive classes, and measures to strengthen teachers' remote teaching capabilities."

In response, teacher organizations stated that before the Ministry of Education devises measures, it is necessary to listen to voices from the field and provide support tailored to the situation. Kim Hong-tae, Policy Director of the Seoul branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, pointed out, "The meaning of real-time comes from the idea of transferring offline classes directly online, but in households with device or environment limitations, there is a high probability that students cannot attend on time." A representative from the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations said, "To activate real-time interactive classes, we must expedite the establishment of communication network infrastructure and platforms for homes and schools."

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