Parents doubtful of gov't guidelines on school reopening

Quarantine officials wearing protective gear sterilize a classroom at an elementary school in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, Tuesday, a day before preschools reopen following a monthslong closure due to COVID-19 outbreak. Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

The government's plan for a second phase resumption of the opening of schools today has raised fears among parents with young children amid the unabated coronavirus pandemic.

They are not convinced about the message of schools being safe as the education authorities have not come up with detailed safety measures for classrooms related to the use of air conditioning and the wearing of masks.

While the education ministry again instructed schools to keep one-third of windows open when air conditioners are turned on, during a regular press briefing, Monday, it said this will likely change after the Life Quarantine Committee has decided on the appropriate course of action. The guidelines for wearing masks during class will also be reviewed with details to will be updated today, the ministry added.

Parents of younger students are expressing frustration as they wonder if the schools are ready to have students physically attend them. Some said younger students will follow teacher's guidance more carefully than older ones, but others said complying with the quarantine and social distancing measures will be more difficult for younger students as they might not fully understand the reason for them.

A 35-year-old working mother Ahn Hye-mi raising two children in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province said she wondered whether young pupils like her son will listen to their teachers.

“My 5-year-old seems to have mastered cough etiquette from his teacher. He even keeps it better than my 11-year-old, but they are too young to fully understand why they have to follow the quarantine rules, and I think other children are also,” Ahn said.

On the other hand, a 42-year-old stay at home mother living in Seoul, surname Choi, said she was worried about her child missing out on learning opportunities.

“I know many parents who send their child to private institutions, and I'm seriously wondering if we can say schools are more dangerous than those places. It has been already three months and we can't just keep our child at home any longer,” Choi said.

While parents and educators have been hurrying to prepare for the reopening of schools, the health authorities are also staying vigilant to handle the recent virus situation as the estimated number of students who will attend classes physically starting today is 2.37 million.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 19 new infections Monday, bringing the total to 11,225. Of them, 16 were local infections. The number of cases tied to bars and clubs in Itaewon reached 247 the same day. The country reported two more virus fatalities, raising the death toll to 269.

Schools are scheduled to resume classes for the two lowest grades of elementary school, kindergarten students, middle school seniors and second-year high school students.

To ease parents' anxiety, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae announced the reopening plan, Sunday, and said that the ministry has increased the number of permissible “absentee days” so that students can stay at home without worrying about attendance. Also, schools in areas with more infections are strongly advised not to fill classrooms with more than two-thirds of students with suggestions for a shift-like attendance schedule to reduce the number of students in a classroom at any given time.