Park Hyeja: "Delicate Response Needed from Education Authorities on Outdoor Mask Removal"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] On the 1st, Park Hye-ja, a preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education of Gwangju Metropolitan City, called for a delicate response from the education authorities regarding the ‘lifting of the outdoor mask-wearing mandate.’

Candidate Park stated, “Although the outdoor mask-wearing mandate has been lifted, the risk of infection still remains,” and added, “The education authorities must carefully adjust important guidelines to prevent confusion and prioritize the health of children.”

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, following the Ministry of Education’s policy, will lift the mask-wearing mandate for physical education classes and events at the class level in kindergartens, elementary, middle, high schools, and special schools starting from the 2nd of this month. On-site experiential learning and volunteer activities will all operate normally, and school facilities will be gradually opened.

However, efforts from each education authority are needed at this time to prevent increased workload and confusion due to this guideline change. Depending on the situation, it is not easy to put on or take off masks, and the changing school quarantine guidelines may cause confusion.

Additionally, for outdoor activities involving 50 or more participants such as experiential learning and school trips, mask-wearing is recommended at the discretion of the school principal. Since outdoor activities judged to have a high risk of infection require mask-wearing, relying solely on teachers’ discretion is not easy.

Park Hye-ja, the preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education of Gwangju, said, “There are still many unvaccinated students in elementary schools, and the workload of teachers guiding them may increase,” adding, “It is necessary to carefully monitor and prevent confusion.”

She also urged, “If detailed task guidelines are well established and everyone works together, overcoming COVID-19 will be possible,” and “Let us all strive to ensure the smooth recovery of daily school life.”

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