Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Supports Smart Devices for Online School Opening of Elementary, Middle, and High Schools in Collaboration with Seoul City

Estimated Around 85,000 People Wish to Rent Smart Devices
Allow Unlimited Data Usage on Teachers' Personal Mobile Phones

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has decided to provide smart learning devices such as laptops to kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students in Seoul ahead of the online school opening.

According to the Office of Education on the 2nd, it is estimated that about 85,000 students in Seoul have requested to borrow smart devices. Of these, 34,000 devices owned by schools and 4,000 devices supported by the Ministry of Education will be excluded, and the remaining 50,000 devices will be provided with funding from the Office of Education, Seoul City, and autonomous districts. Approximately 36.4 billion KRW (700,000 KRW per device) will be spent to support smart devices. The specific quantity will be finalized after being confirmed by the Office of Education. Additionally, to enable teachers to conduct online classes smoothly, Wi-Fi will be installed in teachers' offices, and personal mobile phones will be allowed 'unlimited data usage.'

In preparation for the possibility of school reopening as early as the end of April, the Office of Education has also established six joint response measures with Seoul City and 25 autonomous districts. They will recruit 150 volunteers to disinfect school facilities, and if a cafeteria worker tests positive, substitute staff wages will be supported. Furthermore, costs for purchasing temporary partitions for elementary school cafeterias, weekly disinfection of school buses, and purchasing student cotton masks and portable disinfectants will also be supported.