Expansion of Elementary School Lower Grades Attendance... Ministry of Education Deploys 2,000 Teachers

2021 Ministry of Education Work Plan Announcement
Teacher Deployment to Alleviate Overcrowded Classes and Support Basic Academic Skills
Expansion of Classroom Disinfection Supplies and Operation of 24-Hour Response Team
Establishment of Dedicated Basic Academic Skills Organization to Reduce Learning Gaps

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education will expand priority attendance for young children, lower grades of elementary school, and special schools within the limits of social distancing and school density guidelines. To alleviate overcrowded classes and help students adapt quickly, 2,000 teachers will be deployed.

According to the '2021 Work Plan' announced by the Ministry of Education on the 26th, priority attendance will be promoted for young children, lower elementary grades, and special school (class) students, and flexible academic operations will be implemented. Quarantine supplies (5 masks per person, 3 hand sanitizers per classroom) will be provided, and a 24-hour response team will be activated. For overcrowded classes with more than 30 students, 2,000 temporary teachers will be supported to enable class division and cooperative teaching. Additional instructional staff such as teachers and instructors will be assigned to conduct basic academic cooperative classes through small group activities or supplementary instruction. The goal is to alleviate class overcrowding and reduce infection risks and academic achievement gaps by deploying personnel.

In March, a dedicated basic academic support organization, the 'National Basic Academic Support Center,' will be established, and legislation for the Basic Academic Guarantee Act will be promoted. To guide and counsel students struggling with learning at the beginning of the school year, 5,000 'Dudream Schools' will be opened. To address care gaps caused by COVID-19, after-school kindergarten classes (500 classes) will be expanded. From the second half of the year, school care centers cooperating with local governments and schools will be introduced, and elementary after-school care rooms (700 rooms) and community care institutions (495 locations) will be expanded. Monitoring and home visits will be focused on to detect at-risk students exposed to child abuse and domestic violence early.

Policies to reduce the burden of education expenses will also be implemented. From this year, free high school education will be fully implemented. The support unit cost for the Nuri Curriculum will increase from 240,000 KRW to 260,000 KRW. Student loan interest rates will be lowered to 1.7% for the first semester. To improve the quality of remote classes and expand communication, video class services will be introduced in e-Hakseupter and EBS Online Class in February. Remote class operation standards for elementary, middle, and high schools will be established to support flexible curriculum operations considering achievement levels and learning situations. Autonomy in evaluation, such as adjusting evaluation schedules and frequency, will also be guaranteed. The temporary relaxation of the university remote class ratio cap (20%) from last year will be abolished in March.

The high school credit system will be expanded to Meister High School second-year students starting this year. Next year, it will be introduced to all specialized high schools and some general high schools, and by 2025, it will be implemented in all high schools. Discussions on the future-oriented College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and college admission directions, which will be applied from 2028, will also begin.

Meanwhile, according to the amendment to the 'School Meal Act Enforcement Decree' deliberated and approved at the Cabinet meeting on the same day, national and public kindergartens and private kindergartens with more than 100 students will also be subject to hygiene, safety management, and food ingredient quality standards similar to school meals, and at least one nutrition teacher must be assigned.

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