82% of Gyeonggi Residents Say "Full Return to School Needed"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been revealed that 82% of Gyeonggi Province residents believe that full in-person attendance for students is necessary.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education announced on the 5th that, according to a public opinion survey conducted by KSOI (Korea Society Opinion Institute) from the 22nd to the 24th of last month targeting 1,200 adult men and women aged 19 or older residing in Gyeonggi Province, 82.1% responded that full in-person attendance is necessary.

By respondent group, middle school parents accounted for 93.9%, high school parents 93.1%, and elementary school parents 90.3%, in that order.

The main reason they want full in-person attendance is "a regular lifestyle including daily life and learning (54.2%)." On the other hand, concerns about full in-person attendance included ▲ vulnerability in quarantine related to school meals (27.1%) ▲ risk of infection due to school events (24.8%) ▲ quarantine gaps due to manpower shortages (20.2%) ▲ increased density due to overcrowded or oversized schools (17.8%), among others.

Additionally, the most urgent issues to resolve for full in-person classes in the second semester were vaccination for students, faculty, and academy workers (50.4%), deployment of auxiliary quarantine personnel (25.7%), and conversion to outsourced meal services to address vulnerabilities in meal-related quarantine (10.3%).

Furthermore, to alleviate concerns about declining basic academic skills due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, respondents requested student-tailored basic academic skills programs (26.5%), early diagnosis and learning coaching (22.3%), self-directed learning ability enhancement programs (21.3%), learning motivation programs (16.1%), and support for assistant teachers (12.8%).

Policies that Gyeonggi education should focus on in the post-COVID-19 era were identified as "support policies that help students’ holistic growth and development including physical, emotional, and social aspects" and "policies to improve basic academic skills and academic achievement."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will provide a total of 23.3 billion KRW (18.7 billion KRW from the Office of Education and 4.6 billion KRW from the national treasury) to support quarantine personnel in kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools across the province.

Kim Ju-young, spokesperson for the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, said, "What is noteworthy in this survey is that residents and parents view 'holistic growth including physical, emotional, and social development' as the core function of school education." He added, "To provide diverse learning experiences and support student growth, the Office of Education will strive to prepare for safe school attendance and establish measures to support the recovery of school education."