Cho Hee-yeon "No chance for 1st grade elementary and middle school adaptation"... Ministry of Education "Need to see situation after Chuseok"

Cho Hee-yeon "Please Recognize Exceptions for Density Standards in 1st Grade Elementary and Middle School"

Seoul Metropolitan Area Resumes School Attendance After One Month... Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Scheduled for On-site Visit

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is speaking at the "Related Agencies Inspection Meeting for Strengthening School Quarantine in the Metropolitan Area" held at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 24th of last month. This meeting was organized to explore cooperation measures to ensure student safety and stable academic operations at schools amid the escalation to social distancing level 2 due to the resurgence of COVID-19. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Ministry of Education expressed the position that "we need to see the situation of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) after the Chuseok holiday" regarding Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon's proposal to allow first graders in elementary school and first graders in middle school to attend school every day starting from the 12th of next month.

Earlier, Superintendent Cho said at a meeting with the education office press corps, "These two grades have not yet had the opportunity to adapt to school," and proposed to the Ministry of Education that "starting from October 12, when the special quarantine ends, first graders in elementary and middle school be exempted from the density standards on the condition of strengthening support for school-level quarantine."

A senior official from the Ministry of Education said, "We respect such a request from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education," but explained, "The final decision will be made after considering the infectious disease situation after the Chuseok holiday and adjustments to social distancing levels by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH)."

Under social distancing level 2, kindergartens and elementary and middle schools are required to maintain attendance at no more than one-third of the total students, and high schools at no more than two-thirds.

However, even if the Ministry of Education allows exceptions, the final decision must be made on-site by teachers and parents together.

The government has decided to switch in-person classes to remote learning for kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools in the Seoul metropolitan area from the 26th of this month until the 11th of next month to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, announced this at an emergency joint briefing held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 25th of last month. However, high school seniors who need in-person classes for college entrance exams and career preparation are excluded from the remote learning transition.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye will visit Hansan Elementary School in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, on the 21st, the first day of resuming in-person classes in the metropolitan area. This marks the resumption about a month after kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon switched entirely to remote classes due to the spread of COVID-19.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo will inspect the school quarantine status, observe classes, and listen to on-site opinions related to in-person classes. She is expected to say, "I thank the teachers and school officials who are dedicated and passionate in taking responsibility for students' education and safety in the education field," and urge, "Please strictly follow quarantine guidelines so that our children can attend school safely every day, and ensure that the content learned during remote classes is well connected to in-person lessons after returning to school."

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