74.2% of Elementary School Parents Support, 57.1% of Elementary School Teachers Support
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Proposes Expanding Density to Two-Thirds up to Level 2.5
On the 23rd, marking the solar term Sanggang (霜降), which signifies the first frost and the coldest day of this autumn, parents in front of an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul, were adjusting the clothes of children going to school. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that morning temperatures would drop to around 5 degrees Celsius in most regions nationwide, with daytime temperatures remaining below 15 degrees Celsius. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Seven out of ten parents of elementary and middle school students in Seoul support expanding in-person attendance. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has proposed to health authorities that the classroom density standard be expanded from one-third to two-thirds up to level 2.5.
On the 24th, according to a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education regarding the expansion of in-person attendance, 74.2% of elementary school parents responded in favor. Among middle school parents, 70.7% supported it. Elementary school teachers showed 57.1% support, and middle school teachers also showed 57.1%, which was lower than the parents' approval rate.
The survey was conducted over two days starting from the 18th, targeting 161,203 parents and 10,729 teachers of elementary and middle school students residing in Seoul.
The main reasons for supporting the relaxation of attendance criteria were "adaptation to school life" and "improvement of basic academic skills." The primary reason for opposition was "difficulty maintaining social distancing within schools."
Among parents of prospective first-year middle school students, 76.3% also supported expanding in-person attendance. Regarding daily attendance for first-year middle school students, 71.8% of parents were in favor, while 52.9% of middle school teachers supported it.
Although first-year middle school students are not subject to daily attendance under the Ministry of Education's policy, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has allowed schools to autonomously decide based on school conditions, considering adaptation to school life. This is based on the judgment that the need for face-to-face classes is high, as the average number of attendance days for second- and third-year middle school students last year was only 45 days.
Based on the survey results, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proposed to health authorities to expand classroom density to two-thirds until before social distancing level 3.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "Once the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' new social distancing improvement plan and the Ministry of Education's school attendance guidelines are finalized, we will do our best to ensure safe school life while adhering to quarantine principles."
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