About a Month Before the CSAT... Daegu Suseong Academies and Gangnam Private Tutoring Centers Confirm Cases One After Another, 'Emergency'

On September 2nd, senior high school students at Gyeongsan Girls' High School in Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongbuk, are taking a mock CSAT exam. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] With the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) just over a month away, confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported one after another at a well-known cram school in Suseong-gu, Daegu, and private tutoring sessions in Gangnam, increasing anxiety among students and parents. In response to the nationwide surge in cases, the Ministry of Education announced that all school and academy classes will switch to remote learning starting one week before the CSAT.

According to Daegu city on the 31st, a repeat student, Mr. A, attending a cram school in Suseong-gu, tested positive for COVID-19.

Mr. A is a family member of a contact of a Daegu Jesus Center Church congregant, where cluster infections have occurred. After his family member tested positive, he underwent testing and was confirmed positive.

Health authorities plan to conduct COVID-19 tests on about 900 people, including approximately 800 students, instructors, and staff of the cram school, and will carry out disinfection measures at the academy.

However, since this cram school is one of the larger facilities in Suseong-gu in terms of size and number of students, and with the CSAT just over a month away, the suspension of student attendance is causing significant inconvenience to students and parents.

One examinee expressed concern, saying, "Many universities are currently conducting their own entrance exams, so what happens if confirmed cases or contacts cannot attend these university-specific tests?"

Meanwhile, on the 31st in Gangnam-gu, six students who received home-visit private tutoring tested positive for COVID-19.

Gangnam-gu stated, "Six confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district were related to home-visit private tutoring," adding, "During comprehensive testing of academy instructors, an instructor at a private tutoring academy in Yeoksam-dong was the first to test positive." Since the 20th, Gangnam-gu has been conducting comprehensive testing of instructors working at 3,075 academies and tutoring centers.

As confirmed cases continue nationwide ahead of the CSAT, increasing anxiety, the Ministry of Education announced, "Starting in November, academies will conduct self-health checks for instructors and staff, and from November 26, one week before the CSAT, all high schools and academy classes will switch to remote learning to strengthen quarantine measures for examinee safety." They added, "We will do our best to overcome COVID-19 and ensure a safe examination process."