Yoon Hee-sook: "Educational Gap Worsened by COVID-19... Need to Investigate and Establish Measures"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, emphasized the urgent need to investigate the actual conditions of academic decline, stating, "It is urgent to identify and respond to the educational gap worsened by COVID-19."

On the morning of the 9th, Yoon said on Facebook, "Teachers unanimously report that the academic gap between children from disadvantaged households, children whose parents have low educational backgrounds, and children from well-off families has significantly widened during this year's online classes."

Yoon pointed out, "It appears that lower-tier students barely understood the class content, and there are sighs from teachers and parents that even middle-tier children have fallen to the lower tier," adding, "Although there is no quantitative data, there are even remarks that 'this year's education was wasted.'"

He emphasized, "While reading an article about Sweden, known for its practical approach to COVID-19, what caught my attention was that when a confirmed case occurs, the entire family is quarantined, but children are excluded because they must attend school," and added, "The negative impact on children's education from school closures is much greater than the quarantine effect through isolation."

Yoon also cited a column by former Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho, who criticized the dichotomous attitude that equates emphasizing academic skills with undermining creativity and character education, saying, "The problem of children falling below basic academic skills has rapidly worsened over the past decade." He said, "It is said that the paintings of Picasso and Matisse are famous for their solid foundations," and questioned, "Is education that neglects to help children master the basics truly for their benefit, or is it for the arbitrary ideology of teachers from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo)?"

He stressed, "It is urgent to thoroughly investigate the academic decline caused by COVID-19 and establish countermeasures for the future of both individual children and the nation," adding, "The gaps appearing among children now are leading indicators that foreshadow the deepening polarization and poverty of future citizens. The core of inequality is the inequality in the capacity to generate income."

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