Full-scale Operation of 'University Student Tutoring' Starting from May with Full Return to School

Pre-service Teachers Provide Supplemental Learning for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students
11,258 University Students Apply to Participate
Connected with 9,745 Elementary, Middle, and High School Students
Learning Support Offered Both In-person and Online

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Starting in May, 'University Student Tutoring,' where prospective teachers from education and teacher training colleges provide small-group academic support and counseling to elementary, middle, and high school students, will be implemented.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Student Aid Foundation announced that to address educational deficits in students' learning, psychological, and emotional areas, university student tutoring activities will be fully launched from May, when full in-person attendance is expanded.

University students will provide academic support and counseling to groups of 1 to 4 students, and participating university students will receive work-study scholarships.

The tutoring program procedure involves institutions such as schools that require tutoring applying for the service, after which university students are recruited and matched for participation. Universities and institutions will coordinate pre-education and schedules before proceeding with the learning sessions.

Face-to-face learning support will take place at public facilities such as schools or community child centers, while non-face-to-face learning support can utilize various platforms such as metaverse (extended virtual world), Zoom, and Hangouts.

As a result of demand applications and matching conducted by the Korea Student Aid Foundation, 11,258 university students from 165 universities nationwide have applied to participate in learning support. Among them, 6,961 students have been matched with 9,745 elementary and secondary students, and the remaining 4,297 are also in the process of being matched.

The Ministry of Education and the Foundation plan to confirm and adjust the needs of students and university students through regional councils by province and city for elementary and secondary students waiting to be matched, aiming to connect all participants.

Tutoring applications can be made at any time during the semester. Considering that demand increases during vacations, it is expected that more than 120,000 to 240,000 students annually will receive support.

The Ministry of Education will conduct regular inspections with universities and schools and continuously improve difficulties by maintaining ongoing communication with the field.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye stated, "We expect that elementary and secondary students who have been struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic will receive help not only in learning but also in school life and career through the university student tutoring program, bringing us one step closer to educational recovery."

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