Resumption of School Attendance in the Seoul Metropolitan Area?… Ministry of Education "Decision After Education Superintendent Meeting"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] As social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, are eased from 'Level 2.5' to 'Level 2' starting on the 14th, attention is focused on whether in-person classes at schools in the metropolitan area will resume. The Ministry of Education has stated that the decision will be made after a meeting with the superintendents of education.

On the 13th, the Ministry of Education released a press reference stating that regarding the resumption of in-person classes at metropolitan area schools after remote classes end on the 20th, "After consultations on the 14th between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye and the superintendents of education from cities and provinces nationwide, a final announcement will be made." It added, "As per the existing policy, until the 20th, remote classes will be maintained for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools in the metropolitan area, while in non-metropolitan areas, strengthened measures to minimize density will be applied, allowing kindergartens, elementary, and middle schools to have up to one-third attendance, and high schools up to two-thirds attendance."

With the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) domestically, kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools (excluding 12th grade) in the metropolitan area have been conducting full remote classes since the 26th of last month. However, as the government decided to adjust social distancing in the metropolitan area to Level 2 for the next two weeks, there is speculation that in-person classes at schools in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon might also resume.

According to the '2020 Second Semester Academic Operation Guidelines on Attendance and Remote Classes and School Density Implementation Measures' announced by the Ministry of Education in July, under Level 2 social distancing, kindergartens, elementary, and middle schools are required to maintain a density of one-third or less, and high schools two-thirds or less, while conducting in-person classes.

Separately, with the downgrade to Level 2 social distancing, small and medium-sized academies (including study rooms) and private institutes with fewer than 300 people in the metropolitan area will have their gathering bans lifted starting on the 14th. While these small and medium-sized academies were previously only allowed to conduct non-face-to-face classes, they will now be permitted to hold in-person classes provided they adhere to key quarantine rules such as wearing masks, maintaining visitor logs, and ensuring distancing between users.

However, large academies in the metropolitan area with 300 or more people, classified as 'high-risk facilities,' will remain prohibited from conducting in-person classes and will continue to be under gathering bans until the 27th.

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