Decision on April 6 School Opening to Be Made After Consultation Among Ministry of Education, MFDS, and Central Disaster Management Headquarters... At Least 2 Cloth Masks per Student Stockpiled
[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in received a report on the school reopening preparation status from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye and instructed thorough preparations without any setbacks. President Moon put a brake on the discussions about introducing the 'September semester system' raised inside and outside the education sector.
Yoon Jae-kwan, Deputy Spokesperson of the Blue House, said on the 23rd, "President Moon received a report from Deputy Prime Minister Yoo on the follow-up measures and school reopening preparation plans after the announcement on the 17th to postpone the reopening of elementary, middle, and high schools," adding, "There were reports on student learning support status, emergency support to prevent care gaps, and school reopening preparation status after announcing an additional two-week postponement of school reopening."
Deputy Spokesperson Yoon explained, "Deputy Prime Minister Yoo reported that regarding the stockpiling of masks in schools before reopening, each city and provincial office of education is promoting the distribution of at least two cloth masks per student and securing health masks to be used in case of symptomatic individuals or confirmed cases, planning to complete stockpiling step by step."
The Ministry of Education decided to make the final decision on the April 6 school reopening by comprehensively judging the daily regional occurrence trends, the possibility of student control, social awareness of school safety, manuals, and the preparation status of individual schools. In this regard, the final decision will be made after consultations with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
In particular, Deputy Spokesperson Yoon said, "After receiving the report, President Moon instructed to establish standards for mask use in school settings in consultation with related ministries such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and to provide sufficient guidance to parents, students, and teachers to ensure smooth preparations," adding, "He also urged preparedness for various situations immediately before and after the school reopening date."
Furthermore, President Moon expressed that at the current point in time, discussions on implementing the September semester system are desirable. Deputy Spokesperson Yoon conveyed, "Regarding the recently raised implementation of the September semester system, President Moon said it is not desirable to link the discussion with the school reopening schedule."
Meanwhile, there was no specific discussion about university entrance exams, such as postponing the College Scholastic Ability Test, during Deputy Prime Minister Yoo’s report to the President on that day.
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