As School Attendance Normalizes, School Safety Accidents Increase... Risk of School Violence Also Rises

Increased More Than 3.6 Times Compared to Q1 2020

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[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] As daily life recovers and students' return to school, which was temporarily halted due to COVID-19, normalizes, the number of students attending school in the first quarter of this year has increased, resulting in a rise in safety accidents.

According to the School Safety Mutual Aid Association on the 22nd, the total number of school safety accident cases reported to the school safety accident compensation support system in the first quarter of this year was 11,154.

This is an increase of 625 cases compared to the same period last year (10,529 cases) and more than 3.6 times higher than the first quarter of 2020 (374 cases), when the start of the school year was postponed until May due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

School safety accidents refer to all accidents that occur during educational activities causing harm to the life or body of students, faculty, and staff, including diseases caused by school meals or other factors affecting students or staff.

In the first quarter of 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, students could not attend school and the start of the school year was postponed, while in the first quarter of last year, school density was determined according to social distancing levels.

Up to social distancing level 2, kindergarten and elementary school grades 1-2 students could attend school daily, and grade 12 students attended school daily regardless of the distancing level, but other grades attended school according to the density limits set by the distancing level.

This year, schools were allowed to decide their own attendance methods at the start of the new semester.

When classifying the safety accidents that occurred in the first quarter of this year by school level, kindergartens with younger age groups had many accidents during regular classes (26.3%) and after-school classrooms (17.2%). The injured areas were mainly major parts such as the eyes (12.4%) and forehead (11.9%).

Conversely, in elementary, middle, and high schools, accidents mainly occurred during physical education classes (elementary 32.4%, middle and high 46.1%) and lunchtime (elementary 19.0%, middle and high 18.6%), with injuries more often to ankles or fingers rather than the face.

Meanwhile, as full normal attendance has been implemented since the 2nd under the quarantine authorities' 'Post-Omicron' policy, there are calls for more thorough preparation against safety accidents going forward.

In addition, with the increase in face-to-face classes, there is a possibility that school violence may also surge, causing the education authorities to remain vigilant.

The Ministry of Education has formed a 'Student Safety Field Inspection Team' led by Vice Minister Jang Sang-yoon since the 16th and is operating a '50-day intensive inspection' period to respond to on-campus safety accidents, experiential learning, and school violence.