Transition Team 'Regret' but Ministry of Education Maintains Restriction on Confirmed Students Taking Midterm Exams

On the 24th, when the 2022 academic year March National Joint Academic Achievement Test was conducted for 950,000 high school students from grades 1 to 3 nationwide, three students at Yongsan High School in Seoul were preparing for the exam. This academic achievement test is being held simultaneously nationwide on the same day for the first time in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Joint Press Corps

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[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education announced that it will maintain its policy restricting COVID-19 positive students from taking midterm exams.

During a briefing with the press corps, the Ministry of Education stated, "Since the midterm exams have already begun, it is difficult to change the policy (prohibiting positive cases from taking exams) in consideration of fairness among students."

The Presidential Transition Committee expressed regret over the Ministry of Education's restriction policy the day before, and Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo plans to visit schools this week to hear related opinions.

The Ministry of Education holds the position that it cannot change the restriction policy while the quarantine guideline requiring positive cases to isolate for 7 days remains in effect.

This is because a significant number of 11th and 12th-grade students have already received recognized scores due to previous semester COVID-19 positive or self-quarantine status, and forcing positive students to take exams could compromise the fairness of evaluation if students decide to take exams based on score advantages or disadvantages.

The timing of midterm exams varies by school, ranging from as early as this week to mid-next month. If quarantine guidelines change during this period, fairness issues are expected to arise.

Based on the exam start date, three high schools (0.13%) hold exams between the 11th and 15th. 53.33% of middle schools and 74.75% of high schools conduct exams between the 25th and 29th. By the 13th of next month, 95.42% of high schools and 83.37% of middle schools will have completed their midterms.

A Ministry of Education official said, "We are sharing the review status of quarantine systems with health authorities and examining whether there is any impact on the restriction of COVID-19 positive students taking midterms," adding, "We will consult with health authorities to prevent fairness issues."

Regarding restrictions on final exam participation during the 'post-Omicron' period, the Ministry of Education official stated, "We will make a prompt decision based on changes in quarantine guidelines such as isolation criteria, infection status, and nationwide infection trends."

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