Yoo Eun-hye "Will Discuss Operation of Quarantine Pass Within Entire Government Quarantine System"
Ministry of Education 2022 Work Plan, Aiming for Normal School Attendance in New Semester
Medical Expense Support Plan for Adolescents with Severe Adverse Reactions to Be Announced This Month
Intention to Normalize Schools with 'Normal Attendance' Instead of 'Full Attendance'
Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye is speaking at a briefing on the phased restoration of daily life in the education sector held on the 29th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education has decided to encourage COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents regardless of the court's suspension order on the vaccine pass enforcement. The Ministry will provide medical expense support to adolescents who experience adverse reactions to the vaccine. From the new semester, all schools will promote normal attendance.
On the 5th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye stated during the '2022 Work Plan' briefing regarding the court's suspension decision on the vaccine pass enforcement made the previous afternoon, "We will review the main lawsuit and discuss with the quarantine authorities the overall operation method of the vaccine pass within the entire quarantine system," adding, "We will continue to provide information and encourage adolescent vaccination regardless of the ruling."
Court Halts Vaccine Pass... Ministry of Education: "No Disruption to School Daily Life Recovery"
In response to concerns that the court's decision might lower vaccination rates or affect normal school attendance, Minister Yoo said, "We will make every effort to ensure normal attendance and full recovery of school daily life in the new semester starting in March by preparing comprehensive measures such as supporting quarantine personnel and supplies and supplementing quarantine rules in consultation with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency."
Lee Sang-soo, Director of the School Innovation Support Office at the Ministry of Education, explained, "Currently, the first-dose vaccination rate for adolescents aged 12 to 17 has exceeded 75%, and for high school grades 1 to 3, the rate is about 86%. We expect vaccination rates among students and society overall to increase even during the vacation period, so we do not believe the court's decision will hinder the promotion of school daily life recovery."
Medical Expense Support for Adolescents with Severe Adverse Reactions
The Ministry of Education plans to establish a support plan within this month to cover medical expenses (actual costs) for children and adolescents under 18 who experience severe adverse reactions after vaccination. Adverse reactions are categorized into general reactions such as fever, muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhea, and severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, myocarditis/pericarditis, and death.
Minister Yoo explained, "We are discussing specific measures to provide slightly more medical expense support for children and adolescents with severe adverse reactions than for adults, using the Ministry of Education's disaster special budget as the source."
According to the Ministry of Education, as of the 5th, 247 reports of serious adverse reactions have been received from adolescents aged 13 to 18. This accounts for 2.47% of the total adverse reaction reports (9,828 cases).
Jo Eun-hee, Head of the Safety Vaccination Management Division at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "Serious adverse reactions include anaphylaxis, myocarditis/pericarditis, and death. Adverse reactions include various diseases that occur not necessarily caused by the vaccine, so a high reporting rate does not mean causality."
Normal Attendance Promotion from the First Semester
From the first semester of 2022, normal attendance will be implemented in all schools regardless of region or school level. Academic operation plans considering the infectious disease situation will be established by February. While adhering to quarantine rules, school-level activities and residential programs will be permitted, after-school programs will operate normally, and elementary school care hours will be extended until 7 p.m. Investment will focus on resolving overcrowded classes with more than 28 students per class by 2024, and 979 classes will be added by the first semester of this year.
Regarding the academic operation plan, Lee Sang-soo, Director of the School Innovation Support Office at the Ministry of Education, said, "We are preparing considering that the entire school curriculum will be normally operated through daily life recovery. We are formulating the academic operation plan by comprehensively considering students' vaccination rates and overall societal immunity, and if a situation arises where density restrictions are necessary, we will prepare separate countermeasures accordingly."
Universities will also be supported to normalize face-to-face classes from the first semester and open student activity spaces such as club rooms and student council rooms. However, if confirmed cases surge again in the new semester, school density will be adjusted, and universities will switch theory, liberal arts, and large lectures to online.
The Ministry of Education expressed its intention to restore school daily life by using the term 'normal attendance' instead of 'full attendance' starting this year. However, depending on the COVID-19 situation, if density adjustments are necessary, preparation time will be provided, but the goal is to promote normal attendance with minimal density adjustments.
Minister Yoo explained, "When we said 'full attendance,' the emphasis was on the attendance rate, but 'normal attendance' means 'complete recovery of school daily life,' aiming to fully restore not only the curriculum but also extracurricular activities, experiential activities, club activities, and various comprehensive school life aspects."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
