School Opening Delayed Again? Ministry of Education "Under Review"... National Petition Surpasses 90,000

Ministry of Education to Announce Next Week
Gathering Expert and Field Opinions
Final Decision After Consultation with Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters

"No Treatment Available
Infections in Schools Uncontrollable"
Impossible to Secure Masks for Teachers and Students

Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The Ministry of Education is considering whether to postpone the start of the school year for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The decision will be announced next week.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 15th, following consultations with city and provincial superintendents of education on the 13th, the Ministry held meetings with infectious disease prevention experts and gathered opinions from the education field on the 14th.

An official from the Ministry of Education stated, "We are carefully reviewing various options regarding the possible additional postponement of the school opening," adding, "The final decision will be made after consultation with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters."

The school opening date for kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools was originally scheduled for the 2nd of this month but was postponed once to the 9th due to COVID-19. As the spread continued, it was postponed again to the 23rd.

Demands for postponing the school opening continue. A petition titled "Please postpone the school opening," posted on the Blue House National Petition on the 9th, has garnered over 93,000 signatures as of today. It is expected to exceed 100,000 by the end of the day. The petitioner urged, "In a situation where there is no treatment yet, if students get infected, it will be uncontrollable," and requested, "Please postpone the school opening until after April." Gu Mo (41), who has a son about to enter elementary school, said, "Even if the school opens, I plan not to send my child to school for about a month."

"Stop community infection and open schools
First semester class days may be insufficient
Possibility of postponing the college entrance exam raised
Concerns about the meal service process"

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations also stated on the 13th, "Schools should open only after stopping community infection and stabilizing the situation." The federation said, "With the number of confirmed cases among students and staff exceeding 300 and increasing, safety cannot be guaranteed after school opens," adding, "Voices from the field say that if even one confirmed case appears in the classroom, it could lead to a cluster infection and an uncontrollable situation." The federation noted that inquiries from parents about applying for field trips after the 23rd are ongoing. They also added, "It is impossible to secure masks to provide to children who have to wear them all day."

If the school opening is postponed, there may be a shortage of class days in the first semester and even the possibility of postponing the college entrance exam (Suneung). Accordingly, some have suggested a staggered school opening by school level. However, this is also a difficult decision. Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, wrote on his social network service (SNS), "The problem is not only schools; there is no justification for closing private academies, and the meal service process is actually very concerning," while also stating, "Although there is a proposal for staggered school openings by school level, postponing only high schools does not avoid concerns about cases where other schools open earlier."