Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education Officially Announces 'Recommendation to Maintain School Density at Two-Thirds'

Excluding Small-Scale Schools and Schools Located in Agricultural and Fishing Villages

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced on the 20th that, following the elevation of social distancing to Level 2 in the metropolitan area and the occurrence of confirmed cases in Jeonnam, it has recommended all schools to maintain a school density of two-thirds.

Earlier, on the 19th, the Office of Education held a video conference with the Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial superintendents of education, and through a related agencies' countermeasure meeting at the provincial office, measures were prepared to ensure that the educational safety net for the second semester, including quarantine, learning, and care, operates thoroughly.

It is recommended to maintain school density at two-thirds until the 11th of next month, and whether to extend this will be decided in consultation with quarantine authorities considering the local infection situation.

For 9th and 12th graders preparing for high school entrance exams and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), in-person classes are recommended, and relatively socially distanced small schools with fewer than 60 students and schools located in rural and fishing villages are excluded from the density measures.

Additionally, special schools are allowed to autonomously decide based on local and school conditions.

For lower grades in elementary school, expansion of face-to-face classes is encouraged to ensure basic academic skills, and students receiving basic academic support or multicultural students attending for separate face-to-face guidance are excluded from the density criteria to help close the educational gap and protect educationally marginalized groups.

Furthermore, health self-diagnosis surveys will be resumed three days before school starts, and continuous monitoring at the school level for 1 to 2 weeks will be conducted to thoroughly manage students with suspected symptoms or those prohibited from attending school.

Moreover, high-risk facilities such as large academies, PC rooms, and karaoke rooms will be inspected in cooperation with local governments, and student life guidance will be strengthened.

Superintendent Jang Seok-woong stated, “As we readjust the attendance method, we will supplement measures to minimize potential learning gaps and losses,” and added, “We ask all residents to strictly follow quarantine rules, including refraining from regional movement and gatherings for the time being, so that children can attend school and study normally.”

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