9 out of 10 People Experience COVID-19-Induced 'Learning Gap'... "Digital Sexual Crimes Are Serious"

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Citizen Participation Group Announces Policy Recommendations
Most Suggestions Focus on 'Strengthening Public Education' to Close Learning Gaps
52.9% Support Continuous Monitoring, Surveillance, and Harsher Punishments to Prevent Digital Sex Crimes

On the 11th, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Euncheon Elementary School in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and participated in a remote class. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), most Seoul citizens believe that learning gaps have emerged among students.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 29th the policy recommendations titled "2020 Seoul Education Public Discussion: Hopes for Seoul Education in the COVID-19 Era," created with the participation of a citizen participation group. These recommendations were prepared based on an online survey of 307 citizens, including students, parents, and teachers, covering three main topics: measures to close learning gaps, forms of attendance such as online classes, and sex education in the digital age.

Regarding the survey on measures to close learning gaps, 100 Seoul citizens participated, and 96.0% responded that "learning gaps have occurred since the start of COVID-19." Among those who believed learning gaps had occurred, the most frequently cited cause (multiple responses allowed) was "differences in individual and parental academic interest" (61.5%). This was followed by "differences in private education status" (51.0%), "differences in household economic conditions" (47.9%), "differences in online class content by school" (41.7%), "expansion of online classes due to partial attendance" (29.2%), "differences in online class infrastructure such as learning devices and internet usage" (28.1%), "differences in school and teacher interest" (19.8%), and "differences in school districts and community atmosphere" (15.6%).

As measures to close the learning gap, "strengthening public education" (34.0%) received the highest response rate. This was followed by "expanding and normalizing in-person classes" (32.0%), "individual interest and effort of students and parents" (18.0%), and "economic support and provision of learning infrastructure for vulnerable and low-income groups" (13.0%).

◆ Minimizing on-campus density during in-person classes is necessary = In the survey on attendance forms, which included 103 participants, 73.8% responded that "in-person and online classes should be conducted concurrently depending on the COVID-19 situation, as is currently done." In contrast, 25.2% of respondents said that "since COVID-19 has become prolonged and normalized, policies should be established to proceed with full in-person classes."

Regarding safety measures during in-person classes (multiple responses allowed), 58.3% of respondents chose "minimizing on-campus density," the highest among the options. This was followed by "deployment of auxiliary personnel for student management and supervision" (40.8%) and "strengthening on-campus disinfection" (38.8%).

For effective teaching and learning methods during online classes (multiple responses allowed), 54.4% of respondents suggested "expanding communication between teachers and students through various methods," and 53.4% proposed "expanding interactive classes using video conferencing tools." Meanwhile, both students and teachers emphasized expanding communication with teachers through various methods. To achieve this, the following measures were highly rated: "strengthening Q&A and feedback on school life and class content" (55.3%), "providing devices and internet environments necessary for interactive communication" (50.5%), and "expanding real-time classes" (42.7%).

In the survey related to digital sex education, 104 citizens participated, and among them, 92.3% responded that "digital sex crimes are serious."

As methods to prevent digital sex crimes, "continuous monitoring, surveillance, and strengthening of punishment" was the highest at 52.9%. This was followed by "development of technology to block harmful online content" (41.3%), "strengthening digital sex crime prevention education" (34.6%), "expanding opportunities for parental sex education to facilitate communication between caregivers and students" (28.8%), "establishing education or guidelines for fostering online civic consciousness" (15.4%), "creating a school sexual culture of consideration and respect" (13.5%), and "enhancing teacher expertise and educational support for digital sex crime prevention education" (13.5%).

Based on this survey, the citizen participation group proposed that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education establish its own "school operation manual and principles" to prepare for epidemic and disaster situations like the COVID-19 crisis. When establishing the manual, it is important to include not only attendance plans and quarantine and safety measures but also student management and communication. Furthermore, teachers, parents, students, and experts in related fields must be involved in this process.

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