"Should Not Become a Testbed for High School Seniors"
Smart Devices Rented to High School Seniors and Middle School 3rd Graders
Remote Classes for Elementary Grades 1-3 Reintroduced
On the 15th, one month before the 2020 College Scholastic Ability Test, examinees are taking the 'National Joint Academic Assessment for 3rd Year High School Students' held at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The first mock test for this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), scheduled for the 24th, was announced to be conducted after only the 12th-grade students attend school, but the Ministry of Education has stated that it will reconsider this plan.
At a briefing held after the New Semester Preparation Task Force meeting on the 3rd, Park Baek-beom, Vice Minister of Education, said, "There was unanimous agreement on the opinion that it would be good to have at least one mock test, but it was judged that it is still too early to attend school on the 24th and take the exam," adding, "We will discuss with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and make a decision around that time."
The nationwide joint academic assessment organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, initially scheduled for April 2, was postponed to April 16 and then to April 17, and has now been delayed to the 24th.
Guidelines related to midterm and final exams will be distributed by the Ministry of Education early next week.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education announced that it will complete lending smart devices to students who do not have them before the online school opening. According to the Ministry, as of March 31, the number of students without smart devices was counted at 223,000. Smart devices usable for online learning include at least one of the following: desktop computers, laptops, smart pads, or smartphones. In principle, lending will not be provided if a smartphone can be used.
The lent smart devices will first be available to 12th-grade and 9th-grade students who start online classes on the 9th. For 10th and 11th graders, 7th and 8th graders, and 4th to 6th graders in elementary school who start on the 16th, smart devices can be borrowed until the 13th. The remote class method and smart device lending policy for 1st to 3rd graders in elementary school, who start the latest on the 20th, will be announced again next week.
Currently, the Ministry of Education holds 316,000 smart devices. Each education office will assess the required quantity compared to the number of devices held by schools and allocate additional devices to schools with shortages. For education beneficiaries, support for internet installation costs and other expenses can be received through the Education Informatization Education Expense Support Project. Applications can be made online or offline through community centers.
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