Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Education ministry seeks to expand in-person classes
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, third from left, speaks during a press conference at Government Complex Sejong, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Education
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
The Ministry of Education said it would seek to expand in-person classes amid a continued mix of online and offline classes amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Students in the greater Seoul area, especially middle school students, are likely to have expanded in-person classes as they now have fewer days to go to school than peers in other regions. Under the Level 2 social distancing rule currently applied in the Seoul metropolitan area, the cap on school attendance is set at one third for elementary and middle schools and two-thirds for high schools. The cap is two thirds for elementary and middle schools in other regions.
“The ratio of students attending in-person classes at schools in the (Seoul) metropolitan area is smaller than that in other regions,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a press conference at Government Complex Sejong, Monday.
“In particular, middle school students in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province do not have as many in-person classes as their peers in other regions. So expanding the number of offline class days for middle schoolers in the metropolitan area is the top priority to consider.”
She said the ministry will decide how to allow more offline classes in accordance with a new social distancing scheme to be announced soon by health authorities.
Regarding quarantine work at schools, Yoo said it has been a month since the new semester began but there have been no reports of group infections at schools. There have been cases of COVID-19 infections among students at schools, private academies and kindergartens, but such cases started from community infections.
“According to data we have obtained over the past year, the education ministry as well as health authorities believe that young students are not at higher risk of infection than other age groups. Therefore, we have been discussing with regional education offices the introduction of more flexible ways to expand in-person classes especially in the Seoul metropolitan area,” Yoo said.
Regarding coronavirus vaccination for teachers, the minister said faculty members in charge of health and special education across the country will receive the shots from April 8.
“Vaccinations for teachers are important for the recovery of daily life at school, and we are currently consulting with health authorities over the vaccination plan for teachers of first and second graders in elementary schools and kindergartens,” she said.
“I think that vaccinations for 12th grade teachers should be completed by the summer vacation so that teachers and students can prepare for the college entrance test slated for November without disruption. We are discussing the timing and a detailed plan with health authorities as well.”