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| A third grader in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, watches a lecture on a tablet PC at home. /Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Working parents of first-, second- and third-graders at elementary schools are struggling to find someone to take care of their young children as more of them began the spring semester, Monday.
More than 5.4 million elementary, middle and high school students nationwide began the new school year online amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the Ministry of Education's guidelines, first- and second-graders in elementary school were offered TV programs and handout materials rather than taking real-time interactive classes like older students are doing. The programs aired on the state-run Educational Broadcasting System (EBS).
However, the parents of the younger students said childcare and learning guidance at home is a problem as the younger students are unlikely to stay focused while sitting in front of televisions or smart devices for more than 40 minutes at a time.
Lee Ju-hye, 41, an office worker and mother of an eight-year-old daughter, said she doesn't get the point of the online classes when the parents have to take care of all the learning processes from beginning.
"Although my father takes care of my daughter while I am working at my office, I have to help her to catch up with the class at night if she was distracted," Lee said.
She said she needs anyone who can watch her daughter to help her concentrate on the television for more than 20 minutes at a time.
"I'm wondering how other working parents who would be absent from home during school hours are handling this situation," Lee said.
In particular, many parents point out that it is difficult for early elementary students to perform their assignments through online platforms. In many cases, students have to download the assignments and submit them through the online learning platforms, but parents complain that they think the processes are beyond the children's abilities.
Baek Seo-jin, 43, a mother of a first-grader at an elementary school in Seoul, said she was wondering if the schools expected the assignments to be conducted by the students.
"I really don't think first-graders have the ability to access the learning platform, and download the files, and then submit them by themselves. They are literally assignments for parents, not children," Baek said.
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