Working parents' woes deepen as schools shut down again

An elementary school student watches a lecture on a desktop computer at home in Songpa-gu, northeastern Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Working parents of kindergarten and elementary school students are struggling again to find suitable childcare options, as all schools in the Seoul metropolitan area have been ordered to move classes online until Sept. 11.

Although the measure was in response to the recent surge in the number of infections among students, teachers and other education workers, remote learning poses a burden to working parents as younger children are less likely to stay focused on lectures for a longer time.

Children's participation in online classes requires parents' help, but not all parents are available to participate.

Lee Ju-hye, 41, an office worker and mother of an eight-year-old daughter in Seoul, said she already used her annual paid leave in March and April, when the education ministry first ordered all elementary, middle and high schools nationwide to carry out online classes following repeated delays due to the pandemic.

“Being a working mother is the toughest job ever. That's all I can think about for now,” Lee said.

Oh Hee-na, 39, another working mother with a second grader at elementary school in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, said she stayed up all night when checking the news on the government's announcement regarding the online classes.

The only option for working parents is sending their children to “emergency care” classes, set up at schools for kindergarteners and younger elementary students who are in need of care during the day.

“I tried to apply for emergency care classes, but was rejected. The teacher in charge of the class at my daughter's school said that they can't accept more students because it has to maintain a certain density in the classrooms in accordance with social distancing rules,” Oh said. “I have no place to send my daughter as both of my parents and in-law parents live in other provinces, and I ran out of annual leave days already. I had no choice but to leave my child at my friend's home in Seoul.”

Oh said she would talk with her boss about the childcare issue once again, but she will even consider quitting her job if it's too difficult.

In order to draw up additional measures to support struggling working parents, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government plans to allow parents to have more freedom in their use of paid paternity leave. Currently, a male worker is able to take paternity leave on two separate occasions.

The government plans to allow male workers to take the leave on three separate occasions, and female workers to take maternity leave during pregnancy. Financial support for companies will be provided if they encourage employees to take childcare leave, Hong added.