Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Education, "Middle School 1st Grade Should Also Be Exempt from Classroom Density Restrictions"

66% of Seoul Special Education Officials Agree to Vaccination
Distribution of Educational Materials on Myanmar Democratization Struggle
Education Welfare Consultants Launch Pilot Project for 'Education Guardianship System'

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is giving an opening remark at a press briefing held at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 6th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated that if the COVID-19 infection situation does not escalate into a large-scale outbreak, exceptions should be made to the density standards up to middle school grade 1 (Middle 1), and in-person attendance should be expanded.

On the 6th, during a press briefing held at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Superintendent Cho said, "Although it is a somewhat cautious phase to talk about expanding in-person attendance as we enter a period of infection spread, if the current situation is maintained, I hope that Middle 1 students will also be exempted from the density standards and that the classroom density standard will be relaxed to two-thirds up to level 2." Earlier, a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education regarding daily attendance for Middle 1 students showed that 70% of parents were in favor. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye also recently announced that expanding attendance for middle school students in the metropolitan area would be prioritized for review.

Since the start of the school year in March, the cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed cases related to schools totaled 2,108, of which 1,737 were students and 371 were staff members. Superintendent Cho said, "Recently, the number of confirmed cases among students and staff has been increasing again, but according to the analysis of infection routes, 11.8% were infected within schools, and 53.0% were infected within families, indicating that external factors were the main cause." He added, "We are continuously requesting parents to refrain from small gatherings and asking students to avoid multi-use facilities such as PC rooms, study cafes, and karaoke rooms."

Starting from the 8th, COVID-19 vaccinations will begin for health and special education teachers and staff. Among Seoul special education personnel, only 66.0% agreed to prioritize vaccination, particularly due to low consent rates among support staff. As of the 25th of last month, the consent rates were 70.8% for special education teachers, 60.8% for support staff, and 75.5% for administrative staff.

Regarding this, Superintendent Cho said, "There have been safety concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine, and since it is not vacation time, there may be concerns about disruptions to the continuity of classes." He continued, "Although there is vaccine leave, classes are fixed, which poses difficulties, but we will encourage active participation in vaccination through adjustments to the academic schedule and utilization of staff sick leave."

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is giving an opening remark at a press briefing held at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 6th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Regarding the end of the free policy for the remote meeting service 'Zoom' for educational institutions starting in August, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is not considering separate budget support. Superintendent Cho said, "Although dependence on foreign platforms remains high, there are concerns about data leakage, and the video conferencing quality of Seoul's remote learning support platform New SSEM is expected to become a reason for our platform to be used more frequently."

A representative from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education explained, "Zoom and Google also have errors, and there is no entity that can respond to the demands of school sites, so ultimately, to use a stable educational platform, edutech companies suitable for school sites are needed." He added, "Rather than relying on a specific tool, we are continuing a cooperative system with private companies and those included in public platforms so that schools can autonomously choose between private and public options."

Regarding the Myanmar democratization struggle, which has recently emerged as an international issue, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will produce and distribute occasion-based educational materials so that world citizenship education can be conducted in schools. The occasion-based educational materials consist of PPTs and worksheets tailored to student levels, as well as explanatory guides for teachers. On this day, Superintendent Cho attended the briefing wearing a mask and necktie symbolizing Myanmar.

He said, "Through the Myanmar occasion-based lessons, I expect students to recognize that protecting the peace of their neighbors is protecting their own peace, and by understanding civic movements from a critical perspective, they will be able to engage in deep learning about how individual actions can impact society as a whole." He added, "The use of occasion-based educational materials will be decided by schools, but I hope many schools will hold discussion classes on this topic."

Starting this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will operate a pilot project for the 'Education Guardian System,' which guides and connects students who need learning, emotional, or care support to optimal educational support programs. The Office plans to train 30 guardians in cooperation with 2 to 4 autonomous districts and provide 10 million KRW per institution. This aims to provide customized support not only for low-income students but also for students who urgently need care due to COVID-19 or require care outside of school in their communities.

Superintendent Cho explained, "Although educational welfare policies have expanded dramatically, various entities have independently implemented policies, causing overlaps and blind spots. We are considering an 'Integrated Educational Welfare Support System' and have conceived the Education Guardian System for students left in blind spots under the current system." He added, "Starting as welfare counselors, guardians will be able to fulfill their roles and continue activities as visiting educational welfare consultants."

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