[2020 National Audit] Seoul Private Elementary Schools' In-Person School Days More Than Twice Those of Public Elementary Schools

Public Elementary Schools Attend 1.9 Days per Week, Private Elementary Schools 4.2 Days
Send to School with 'Emergency Care'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] During the period when remote classes were required, the number of in-person school days at private elementary schools in Seoul was more than twice that of public elementary schools.

According to Lee Tanhee, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on academic operation plans for each elementary school ahead of the May school reopening showed that public elementary schools in Seoul had an average of 1.9 days of in-person attendance per week, whereas private elementary schools averaged 4.2 days.

Lee stated, "In some private elementary schools, one-third of the students attended normal in-person classes, while the rest attended classes in the form of 'emergency care' with all students present," and criticized, "Emergency care is a measure that deviates from the Ministry of Education's recommendation, which encourages limiting the number of students per class to around 10 for children from families in urgent need."

As of September 28, the proportion of students attending emergency care classrooms and participating in remote classes was nearly three times higher in private elementary schools (14.8%) compared to national and public elementary schools (5.2%).

This was attributed to the fact that private elementary schools charge annual tuition fees amounting to several million won. The average annual tuition fee for 38 private elementary schools in Seoul was found to be 7.1 million won, with the highest tuition fee being 8.88 million won per student per year.

Lee emphasized, "Active support for care and after-school programs for students in national and public elementary schools is necessary to reduce disparities among students."

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