After the Ministry of Education's three postponements of school opening, many people considered that it will be dangerous to start the new semester. Also, the crisis warning of the spread of the coronavirus has taken a serious step, once again deciding to postpone school opening.

However, this time, they chose online instead of face-to-face schooling. Seniors of middle schools and high schools are going to start online on April 9 after a three-day delay. First and second year students in middle and high schools and the fourth, fifth, sixth grade of elementary school will begin their online schools on April 16 after a seven-day break. In the first two days of online school opening, the first two days are for remote class adaptation, adapting to online classes, and conducting orientation and opening ceremonies. According to the Ministry of Education, there is no fixed date on how long the online classes will last, and when attendance will begin.

▲ Most of the students in Korea are going to have online classes starting from April 9.

For the kindergartens, it is reported that conducting online classes is difficult because of the nature of the classes. So, it would indefinitely extend the shutdown until children were allowed to attend. During the rest of the classes, it would be conducted by suggesting data to play at home. Also, it is newly reported that the first and second grades of elementary schools are going to implement their classes through the EBS broadcasting system and study papers without using any smart devices. It is because there were concerns that they cannot concentrate for 40 minutes without teachers though they have remote classes.

▲ Teachers in schools are preparing for online classes, with the chairs separated individually for face-to-face schooling.

As the opening data delayed, the college entrance exam schedule has also been changed. For instance, June mock evaluation will be postponed from June 4 to Jun 18, the college entrance exam will be postponed by two weeks from November 19 to December 3. Also, the schedule for early admissions and regular admissions have also been changed.

▲ Many people including students are practicing social distancing from prevent the virus to be spread.

For the students of education benefit beneficiaries who are under 50 percent of median income, smart devices, and the internet will be supported. Also, there is a plan to require households that lack the IT environment, such as agricultural, fishing, and island areas, to use school classrooms and computer rooms. Meanwhile, social distancing is being practiced to prevent the virus from spreading further. As a consequence, the number of confirmed cases is significantly decreased.

April 19th, 2020

by Lee Dowon