[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] As the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has caused the postponement of school openings, practical training, and certification exams one after another, students of specialized high schools worried about employment have urged the Blue House National Petition to come up with countermeasures.
On the 30th, a petition titled "Please prepare measures for high school seniors attending specialized high schools and Meister high schools" was posted on the Blue House National Petition board. As of 9:40 a.m. on the 31st, the petition had received more than 5,700 endorsements.
The petitioner said, "Currently, due to the COVID-19 situation, school openings are continuously postponed, and the Ministry of Education is considering online school openings. Measures such as 'postponing the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT)' are being prepared to prevent disruptions in the admissions of students attending general high schools," but "(For those about to be employed) students of specialized high schools and Meister high schools, the situation is serious as many public enterprises, financial institutions, and large companies cannot set precise recruitment schedules due to the impact of COVID-19," they lamented.
He added, "Some companies are changing their recruitment methods, such as eliminating high school graduate recruitment and only hiring university graduates," and "if all recruitment schedules for the first half of the year are canceled and only a few companies conduct recruitment in the second half, students attending specialized high schools and Meister high schools will face a situation where they graduate without finding employment," expressing concern.
He continued, "Just as measures like 'postponing the CSAT' are being considered for general high school admissions, I hope measures for employment of specialized high schools and Meister high schools will also be prepared," emphasizing, "Especially since many students from specialized and Meister high schools get employed in public institutions, I hope countermeasures will be made so that public institutions can conduct recruitment at a scale similar to that of the year before last or last year for high school graduates."
He added, "Students attending specialized high schools and Meister high schools acquire certifications to develop expertise, but most certification exam schedules have been canceled now," and "I hope additional exam schedules will be created within this year so that students can take certification exams, and other measures will be prepared."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced on the 31st at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office that they are considering sequential online school openings starting from April 9th regarding the school opening schedule.
On that day, Prime Minister Chung said, "To reduce confusion, considering the preparation status and children's acceptance, it was judged reasonable to open schools sequentially from April 9th, mid-next week."
He added, "Considering the annual number of school days and admissions schedules, it is not easy to simply postpone school openings by giving up children's right to learn, so online school openings are being strongly considered as an alternative."
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