Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education Completes Verification of Elementary School Enrollment... 20,245 Students in 507 Schools

Multiple Channels Used to Confirm Location and Safety of 1,565 Children Absent from Preliminary Assembly

A preliminary gathering is being conducted in a drive-through manner for attendance confirmation at Mojon Elementary School in Mungyeong City.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 20th that it has completed the preliminary enrollment meetings for 21,245 children eligible for enrollment at 507 elementary schools for the 2021 academic year.

This year, considering the COVID-19 situation, both face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods were used, and the times and locations were staggered to prevent attendees from gathering all at once.

The face-to-face method diversified attendance times to afternoon, evening, and weekends, and was conducted through drive-thru and walking-thru methods. The non-face-to-face method involved submitting enrollment materials to schools via mail or email, and confirming the whereabouts of children through mobile video calls and remote video conferencing programs.

Among the 21,245 children eligible for enrollment in the 2021 academic year, 19,680 attended the preliminary enrollment meetings, while 1,565 did not attend. Of the 19,680 attendees, 14,770 (75%) attended face-to-face, 3,098 (16%) used a combination of face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods, and 1,812 (9%) attended non-face-to-face.

For the 1,565 children who did not attend, the Office of Education confirmed their whereabouts and safety through various channels: 804 transferred schools, 149 deferred enrollment, 214 exempted, 339 went abroad, 17 homeschooled, 15 simply absent, 2 early admissions, and 25 others.

Among the children who went abroad, one was confirmed to have left the country through the National Police Agency, but contact has not been established with the child's guardian currently residing overseas. The police agency is investigating to confirm the child's whereabouts and safety abroad.

Superintendent Lim Jong-sik said, "There were difficulties in conducting preliminary enrollment meetings for new elementary school students through both face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods due to the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to support so that new elementary school students can have a safe and happy school life."