Ministry of Education Conducts New Semester School Quarantine and Safety Inspections... Also Verifies Management of Chinese International Students

Customized School Safety Field Inspections by Province for the New Semester

Eun-Hye Yoo, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, visited the foreign dormitory at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul on the 13th to inspect the COVID-19 response situation. Photo by Moohonam Mun. munonam@

Asia Economy reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of Education announced on the 17th that it will conduct on-site inspections to check whether schools are properly managing safety measures, including COVID-19 prevention, ahead of the new semester in March.

Sixteen officials from the Ministry of Education, including Vice Minister Park Baek-beom, Deputy Vice Minister Seo Yu-mi, and Director of Planning and Coordination Office Joo Myung-hyun, will visit one or two elementary, middle, high schools, and universities each between the 18th of this month and the 13th of next month. The schools to be visited include 14 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 high school, and 14 universities.

The Ministry officials will inspect whether these schools are properly managing COVID-19 prevention and hygiene, ensuring safety on commuting routes inside and outside the schools, and whether air purification devices to counter fine dust are well equipped.

During university visits, they will also check whether each university is properly managing Chinese international students to self-quarantine for two weeks in dormitories or off-campus housing.

For elementary, middle, and high schools, customized inspections will be conducted based on prior analysis of frequent accidents by city and province using data from the National Police Agency, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korea Meteorological Administration to identify safety vulnerabilities.

Vice Minister Park Baek-beom of the Ministry of Education emphasized, "This year, by focusing customized inspections on vulnerable safety areas of metropolitan and provincial offices of education, we will be able to efficiently prevent safety accidents. We will work harder together with education offices and universities to make schools the safest places."