From the 14th, All Schools in the Seoul Metropolitan Area to Switch to Full Remote Classes... Full Return to School in the Second Semester Uncertain

Remote Classes Possible from the 12th Depending on Local and School Conditions
Small-Scale In-Person Guidance Allowed for Special Schools and Basic Academic Needs
Attendance Permitted with Minimization of Density for Final Exams
Care and After-School Programs for Kindergarten and Elementary Students
Parents Say "Glad for Remote Transition" and "Full Return to School Expansion Is Too Much"

On the 8th, as the spread of COVID-19 intensifies mainly in the metropolitan area, students are attending school at an elementary school in Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] As the metropolitan area is raised to social distancing level 4, schools in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon will fully switch to remote classes starting from the 14th.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye held an emergency briefing on COVID-19 in the education sector on the 9th and stated, "Although social distancing level 4 will be applied from the 12th, considering the preparation period for school academic operations, we decided to fully switch to remote classes from the 14th," adding, "Proactive measures can also be taken from the 12th depending on the region or school conditions."

Most schools start summer vacation after the 16th, and final exams are mostly completed. 94.8% of middle schools and 96.9% of high schools have finished their final exams. The Ministry of Education decided to allow attendance under the premise of minimizing density if unavoidable during remote classes. If final exams are ongoing or scheduled, students may attend school in a limited manner to take exams according to attendance, evaluation, and record guidelines.

Even with full remote classes at level 4, small-group face-to-face instruction is possible for special schools and students needing basic academic support and newly arrived immigrant students. To reduce the burden on parents, elementary after-school care equivalent to emergency care will be operated, and kindergartens will run after-school programs for children needing care. As of the 8th, except for Chuncheon (level 3) and Daejeon (level 2), most regions can fully attend school at level 1.

The number of confirmed student cases reached the highest this year over the past week. From the 1st to the 8th, 511 students from nationwide kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools were confirmed positive, an increase of 162 from the previous week. Especially, Seoul (152), Gyeonggi (182), and Incheon (54) accounted for 75% of the total cases.

New Social Distancing Guidelines for School Density by Level

The Ministry of Education and metropolitan/provincial offices of education deliberated until just before the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) announcement on whether to fully switch to remote classes. Until the day before, the Ministry of Education maintained the position to keep the existing two-thirds attendance policy until the social distancing level was raised. Regarding this, a Ministry of Education official said, "The school density standard is linked to the social distancing level, so even if changes are made, going together is seen as a way to increase predictability."

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also prepared two options until just before the announcement: maintaining the current attendance policy and expanding full attendance. A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official said, "There was an opinion that introducing full remote classes with only a week left before vacation could cause confusion," adding, "The quarantine authorities and the Ministry of Education probably wanted to make a more cautious decision as vacation approaches."

The possibility of full attendance in the second semester has also become uncertain. Since the new social distancing level 2 allows full attendance for confirmed cases, if the infection trend is not controlled, expanding attendance will be difficult. A Ministry of Education official said, "We will decide on full attendance for the second semester by monitoring the trend," adding, "Even if school quarantine is strengthened and vaccinations for staff and third-year high school students are carried out, full attendance is only possible if the social distancing standard is lowered to level 2." Deputy Minister of Education Jung Jong-cheol said at a briefing the day before, "Over the past year and a half, learning loss, especially psychological, emotional, and social deficits, inevitably negatively affected students, which is why we set the goal of full attendance in the second semester."

Parents welcome the switch to remote classes but believe full attendance in the second semester is premature under the current situation. Kwon, a parent in their 40s, said, "I was worried because confirmed cases were appearing in various elementary schools, but I am relieved that classes switched to remote," adding, "Academies are also conducting remote classes, so we need to strengthen quarantine properly to curb the spread." Sung, a parent in their 30s, said, "It has been several days since the number exceeded 1,000; the response should have been quicker," adding, "It's very unfortunate for the children, but full attendance in the second semester seems difficult now." Another parent in their 40s said, "Virus transmission may become more active in winter, so expanding attendance in the second semester is unreasonable."

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo said, "We will work closely with quarantine authorities and metropolitan/provincial offices of education to thoroughly strengthen school quarantine, including vaccination of all school staff and academy workers, during the remaining 40 days before the start of the second semester."

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