"Completely Unaware of the Situation"... Academy Community Angry Over 'Recommendation' for Remote Classes During Vacation

Ministry of Education Actively Recommends Remote Classes for Hagwons
Hagwon Groups Say "Desk-bound Administration... Efforts for Quarantine Must Be Respected"

The academy district in Mokdong, Seoul. Not directly related to the article / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] The academy associations have demanded the Ministry of Education withdraw its policy actively recommending remote classes at academies during vacation periods, arguing that such measures could instead push students into environments with higher infection risks. They have stated that if the government does not retract the policy, they will take a strong stance in response.

On the 27th, the Korea Academy Federation issued a press release saying, "We have expressed strong regret to the government over the sudden announcement without prior discussion," and added, "If this recommendation is not withdrawn, we will regard it as regulation of academies and engage in strong countermeasures."

Deputy Prime Minister Park Soon-ae visited an academy in Sejong City on the 25th, inspecting the academy's quarantine measures and talking with the children. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier that day, the Ministry of Education announced the 'School and Academy Quarantine Management Plan during Vacation' at a joint briefing with government ministries of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The plan included actively recommending the transition to remote classes at academies and urging academy staff and students showing COVID-19 symptoms to refrain from attending.

This appears to reflect concerns that, following the lifting of social distancing and the return to normal life, vigilance against COVID-19 has weakened, and since students have a lower vaccination rate than adults, the summer vacation could act as a catalyst for the spread of COVID-19.

The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has emphasized voluntary quarantine measures, so this plan is a 'recommendation' rather than a mandatory order.

However, the academy sector immediately opposed the measure. The government issued the recommendation for remote classes at academies just days after reaffirming the principle of 'normal attendance' for the second semester despite the resurgence of COVID-19. They also expressed concern that although the government's measure is a 'recommendation,' parents might perceive it as a 'mandatory action.'

The Federation criticized that this decision was made without prior discussion. They stated, "We had been discussing response measures with the Ministry of Education to thoroughly implement academy quarantine, but the recommendation for remote classes was suddenly announced without prior consultation," and pointed out, "This disregards academy workers and is a form of desk-bound administration."

The Federation also revealed that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, autonomous academy quarantine inspection teams have been formed in each of the 17 metropolitan and provincial branches to conduct quarantine inspections at local academies and study rooms. Regarding the recommendation for symptomatic individuals to refrain from attending, they said, "In the field, academies already restrict access for staff and students showing symptoms," criticizing the guideline as "completely unaware of the actual situation."

They further appealed, "This measure ignores the difficulties faced by academy workers nationwide who have repeatedly closed and reopened since the early days of COVID-19, suffering operational hardships," and added, "It disparages the quarantine efforts of academies that have participated in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis."

Lee Yoo-won, president of the Korea Academy Federation, emphasized, "The government is imposing regulations unconditionally by framing academies as vulnerable to COVID-19 without evidence," and said, "Academies have been implementing quarantine at the level of experts while enduring various regulations. Now, it is time to respect the efforts of academies."

In this regard, the Ministry of Education previously stated at the briefing that it had consulted with the Academy Federation beforehand. Lee Sang-soo, Director of the School Innovation Support Office at the Ministry of Education, said, "We have fully consulted with the Korea Academy Federation and are taking measures to ensure that academies can operate during the vacation period with active cooperation," and added, "The Academy Federation is also actively accepting this."

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