Yoo Ki-hong "In-person classes cannot be delayed any longer... Early vaccination for education workers is necessary"

Yoo Ki-hong, Chairman of the National Assembly Education Committee and Democratic Party Lawmaker, Holds Briefing on 'Expansion of In-Person Classes' on the 27th

Yoo Ki-hong, Chairman of the National Assembly Education Committee / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Yoo Ki-hong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized the need to expand in-person classes. To this end, he also called for early vaccination of education workers.

Yoo, the chairman of the National Assembly's Education Committee, stated at a briefing on 'Expansion of In-Person Classes' held at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 27th, "We can no longer delay in-person classes," adding, "It is now time to return to school."

Yoo said, "In a public opinion poll conducted by a media outlet, support for expanding in-person classes was very high, indicating that a national consensus on expanding in-person classes is forming."

Yoo cited the spread of COVID-19 within schools in Japan as an example. He explained, "In Japan, where the number of confirmed cases is higher than in our country, when cases reached the 20,000 level, infections within schools were very low. During this period, 71.4% of the 105 confirmed cases in elementary schools were infections within households, and there was only one case of transmission within schools. In middle schools, household infections accounted for more than 60%."

To expand in-person classes, Yoo advocated strengthening school quarantine measures. He said, "A much larger number of quarantine support personnel is needed compared to the 46,000 hired last year. Correspondingly, more quarantine supplies are also necessary. We will strive to secure more budget and personnel through supplementary budgets or other means in preparation for this."

He also requested the government to consider early vaccination for education workers. Yoo stated, "I ask the quarantine authorities to review early vaccination for care teachers, health teachers, and teachers who have direct contact with students."

However, he pointed out issues with the Ministry of Education's plan to alleviate overcrowded classes. The Ministry announced it would hire 2,000 additional temporary teachers to address overcrowding. Yoo acknowledged, "While I recognize this as a necessary initial measure, I want to point out that it is not a fundamental solution," emphasizing, "We will actively work in various directions, including teacher supply measures and expansion of education funding, to reduce the number of students per class."