Seoul Allows 38 Days of Home Study... Priority for Remote Transition by Class and Grade

Academic Operation Plan for 1st Semester of 2022, Up to 20% Home Study
Strengthening Alternative Learning and Remote Classes, Prioritizing Real-Time Streaming
Care Provided to Students Needing It from Certain Remote Class Stages

On the morning of the 20th, when all schools in the metropolitan area stopped full in-person attendance and began combining in-person and remote classes, a 2nd-grade science class was being conducted remotely at Jangwi Middle School in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has set the maximum period for home study due to COVID-19 at 38 days this year.

On the 15th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced the academic operation plan for the first semester, allowing normal attendance based on the Ministry of Education's criteria of '3% new confirmed cases, 15% attendance suspension,' and home study is limited to 38 days, which is 20% of the statutory school days.

The total number of off-campus experiential learning days (including home study) for elementary students must not exceed 20% of the total school days (190 days) without any limit on consecutive days. For middle and high school students, home study is determined by school regulations within the scope that does not interfere with curriculum completion.

If remote classes are conducted at the class level or higher during the period of in-person classes, remote classes will be counted as attendance. However, alternative learning due to individual absence caused by confirmed cases or self-quarantine will be treated as 'attendance-recognized absence.'

Regarding the types of academic operations by school for the new semester in March, the four types are the same as the Ministry of Education's standards: ▲ normal educational activities ▲ full attendance + restriction on (non)curricular activities ▲ partial attendance and partial remote classes ▲ full remote classes. However, kindergartens, 1st and 2nd graders in elementary school, special schools, after-school care, and small schools are basically required to attend daily.

If even one of the two conditions is not met, the status changes to full attendance + restriction on (non)curricular activities; if both conditions are exceeded, it changes to partial attendance. In case of a surge in confirmed cases, the Ministry of Education, quarantine authorities, and education offices will consult to switch to full remote classes.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education decided to apply the partial remote class criteria at the class or grade level. For example, in a school with 600 students and 25 students per class, if 15% or more of students in 3 out of 4 fifth-grade classes are suspended from attendance, the entire fifth grade will conduct remote classes.

If there are 25 new confirmed cases among 600 students and 97 students are suspended from attendance, and 13 out of 24 classes have 15% or more attendance-suspended students, full remote classes can be implemented.

Ko Hyo-sun, Director of Education Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, explained, "The Ministry of Education has granted considerable autonomy to schools and metropolitan and provincial education offices regarding the application of standard figures, and expanded specific measures within broad standards. Attendance suspension at the class or grade level is a method that has been applied previously."

After-school care operates normally during normal attendance or full attendance + restriction on (non)curricular activities. During partial attendance or full remote classes, it is provided to students in need. If confirmed cases occur in after-school care rooms making normal operation impossible, it is linked to home care. After-school programs operate normally in various ways but switch to online-centered operation only during full remote classes.

The criteria for switching to full remote classes at the school level must be pre-established when preparing the school's Business Continuity Plan (BCP). From the point when full remote classes are considered due to confirmed or quarantined members of the school community, implementation should be based on each school's situation.

Alternative learning should utilize real-time broadcasting of classroom lessons for students in isolation or home treatment, and alternative learning content such as learning kits should also be prepared. Full remote classes should prioritize real-time interactive lessons.

School sports teams conduct training after regular classes up to full attendance, with a maximum of 15 participants for indoor training. Even during outdoor training, mask-wearing is mandatory except for high-intensity training. Joint or training camps with other schools should be avoided. From the stage after partial remote classes, physical training should be individual, and contact during technical and teamwork training should be minimized.

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