Jeju Office of Education Maintains Full School Attendance... Reduction in Educational Activities

Published 17 Dec.2021 16:28(KST)

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] As social distancing measures are reinforced again, schools in the Jeju area will maintain full in-person classes from the 20th until the winter vacation.

However, educational activities will be scaled back again, including reducing the scale of field trips, conducting physical education and arts activities by class, refraining from group activities and mobile classes, and avoiding face-to-face events inside and outside the school as much as possible.

The Jeju Office of Education announced on the 17th that it held a meeting chaired by the vice superintendent on the 16th and finalized the "Academic Operation Plan in Response to Strengthened Social Distancing Measures," which was sent to all schools in the province via official documents.

This decision was made reflecting the decreasing trend of COVID-19 infections among students in the province, the higher vaccination rate among children and adolescents compared to the national average, and the final exam schedule.

Large schools such as elementary schools with over 1,000 students, middle schools with over 800 students, and general high schools with equalization will also have full in-person attendance. However, considering the academic schedule and vaccination rates, schools may switch to remote classes after gathering opinions from school members and consulting with the Office of Education.

The Office of Education recommended that if middle and high schools switch to remote classes, it should be encouraged for 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students so that the final exams are not disrupted.

Care services for grades 1 to 3 in elementary school, kindergartens, and special schools will also operate normally.

However, educational activities will be further restricted.

Due to the strengthened social distancing measures, the scale of field trips has been reduced from the previous 99 students (from November 22 to the end of the semester) to 49 students.

Sports events, art festivals, and other physical education and arts activities are discouraged from being held at the grade or entire school level and are recommended to be conducted at the class level.

Superintendent Lee Seok-moon said, "Although full in-person classes will continue, this is absolutely not a time to let our guard down. I hope school principals and parents will continue to cooperate for strengthened quarantine measures and vaccination participation, and that health management for students and staff who have traveled outside the province will be even more thorough."