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[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education is promoting institutional improvements to allow prospective teachers from teacher training colleges and education colleges to have activities such as cooperative teaching for basic academic skills recognized as teaching practicum.

On the 14th, the Ministry of Education announced that it will expand institutions eligible for teaching practicum and make practicum more flexible by supporting prospective teachers' participation in public education. This reflects proposals related to teaching practicum from teacher training universities and prospective teachers following the social consultation results of the National Education Council in December last year.

The Ministry of Education will expand teaching practicum institutions to include those established, designated, entrusted, or operated by the state or local governments for the purpose of student education. This includes wee centers, specialized counseling support centers, special schools and special class support centers, and online joint curriculum support centers.

To this end, the Ministry will specify the expanded institutions in Article 6, Paragraph 4 of the detailed standards for acquiring teacher qualifications for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and special schools, and include "special schools" in Paragraph 5.

In the future, the institutions eligible for practicum will continue to expand. To select cooperative schools for teaching practicum for prospective teachers, the Ministry plans to expand practicum institutions by linking with voluntarily participating teachers and schools, teacher learning communities, subject research groups, and innovation schools.

Support activities for public education, such as prospective teachers participating as assistant instructors for basic academic skills, will also be recognized as teaching practicum. When prospective teachers participate in basic academic support education programs at the education office or school level and teach students together with cooperating teachers, teacher training universities can recognize this as practicum hours.

The Ministry of Education will allow indirect and non-face-to-face teaching practicum only for the 2021 academic year. Direct practicum will be adjusted from 4 weeks to 2 weeks, and indirect practicum worth 1 credit within teacher training institutions can be included. If a prospective teacher is confirmed positive or quarantined due to COVID-19, completion will be recognized if a substitute program is operated.

To ensure safe teaching practicum, a remote teaching practicum guidebook will also be distributed. It is expected that connections among related institutions such as metropolitan and provincial education offices, teacher training universities, and cooperating schools will be expanded for teaching practicum activities.

Support activities to reduce academic achievement gaps for prospective teachers will be promoted through future education centers and others. Additionally, an "Education Practicum Connection App" will be developed to help prospective teachers find schools where they can perform practicum such as educational volunteering.

Hong Gi-seok, Director of School Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "By flexibly responding to changes in the educational environment caused by COVID-19, we will support prospective teachers to conduct teaching practicum in various ways," and added, "We also ask for active cooperation from education offices, teacher training universities, and prospective teachers to reduce academic achievement gaps."

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