Ulsan Office of Education Decides to Extend Full Remote Classes for One More Week

Expansion to All Schools Including Special Schools from the 21st
Emergency Care Classrooms to Operate Normally
Mandatory Schedules Limited to One-Third Density for Attendance

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[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jeonghwan] Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education will extend full remote classes for all schools in the district, including special schools, for one more week starting from the 21st.

The Office of Education switched all grades from kindergarten to high school to remote classes for one week starting from the 14th as a preemptive quarantine measure against the third wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

This extension is a preemptive measure to protect students from large-scale infection spread, considering that COVID-19 confirmed cases continue to sporadically occur in the local community and student cases are emerging one after another in schools.

During the full remote class period, special schools, kindergartens, and elementary schools will operate emergency care classrooms. To minimize care gaps, especially for dual-income families, emergency care will be provided with minimized density for students from families that absolutely need care, along with support for remote class assistance.

Special schools, which require special protection and support, will not limit the number of students in emergency care classrooms and will provide customized learning support considering the characteristics of students with disabilities.

Special schools will provide home-study linked learning kits or content to students and support one-on-one or one-on-two face-to-face classes at school. Special classes within general schools will also be allowed individual face-to-face classes while complying with quarantine guidelines.

Students wishing to receive emergency care will be actively accommodated, and careful checks will be made to ensure there are no blind spots in care.

For essential schedules such as final exams and end-of-semester academic affairs, attendance will be allowed in a limited manner by reducing the density of the entire population at the same time to within one-third.

To improve the quality of remote classes, real-time morning and closing homeroom sessions will be operated by class during the remote class period, with at least one real-time interactive remote class per week, and the ratio of interactive classes will be gradually expanded. The Ulsan e-Hakseupter learning management system’s video conferencing services for attendance, homeroom, courses, and topics will also be actively utilized.

Students targeted for basic academic support will receive separate supplementary instruction during the remote class period to prevent learning gaps. Basic academic classes using the Dudream Classroom for slow learners will be operated. ‘Chaeum Plus Korean and Math’ materials, which can also be used at home, will be provided to ensure thorough basic academic support.

To communicate with students and parents, counseling will be conducted at least once a week via wired and wireless means, and students’ health will be thoroughly checked during the remote class period.

Even though face-to-face counseling has become difficult due to the transition to remote classes, psychological quarantine for students and staff will be provided. Psychological support tailored to the needs of general students, self-quarantined or confirmed cases, and high-risk groups will be conducted, and connections to mental health specialists through counseling will be supported.

Students who need non-face-to-face counseling using SNS or phone can receive professional counseling anytime to alleviate psychological shock caused by COVID-19.

The Office of Education reactivated the Remote Class Support Center on the first day of full remote classes, the 14th, to provide real-time support for students’ remote classes. The center closely supports school site classes, academic schedules, and remote classes for students and parents related to remote classes.

Additionally, in response to the third wave of COVID-19, 1.67 million KF94 masks, 10 per student and staff member, will be urgently supplied within this month.

Superintendent No Okhee said, “We hoped the full remote classes would end in a week, but since sporadic infections among students could lead to group infections, we had no choice but to take preemptive measures for safety. We will carefully ensure that no learning loss or care blind spots occur during the remote class period.”

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