80% of Schools to Reopen in Weeks 3 and 4 of August
Stricter Standards Expected for School Trips and Experiential Activities
159 Students Infected in Group Outbreak During Jeonju High School Trip
On the 15th, students who are on summer vacation are leaving school at Cheonggu Elementary School in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
As most schools have started their summer vacation, school quarantine measures are on high alert ahead of the second semester opening in mid-August.
According to the Ministry of Education on the 22nd, 30% of schools will open in the third week of August (August 16?21), and up to 80% of schools will open in the fourth week of August (22?27). With the number of confirmed cases increasing daily, it is expected that school quarantine standards will be strengthened from the second semester. Even if the policy to maintain normal attendance is upheld in the second semester academic operation plan to be announced in early August, it is highly likely that standards for experiential activities will be tightened.
Since May, the Ministry of Education has fully allowed overnight programs such as experiential activities and school trips, permitting education offices and schools to decide on experiential activities after deliberation by the school operation committee and parental consent. If infectious diseases resurge, local education offices are required to set standards and operate flexibly at the class or grade level.
An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "Many schools had planned school trips for the second semester, and standards for overnight experiential activities in the second half of the year will be included in the academic operation plan to be announced early next month. Standards for extracurricular activities require consultation with local education offices. Since normal attendance was maintained even under extreme conditions in the first half of the year, the principle of normal attendance will remain unchanged."
It has become difficult to proceed with second semester school trips or experiential activities as originally planned. According to a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in May targeting 584 schools, more than half, 334 schools (58.8%), planned trips or training activities between August and December. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also decided to review standards for school trips and training activities after gathering opinions from the school field.
A representative from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said, "We will set standards after hearing opinions from principals and education support offices. Since the government’s policy is not to apply social distancing as before, it is expected that full restrictions will be difficult, and decisions will be made while monitoring future developments."
Earlier, from the 12th to 15th, 159 students and staff from a high school in Jeonju who went on a school trip to Jeju Island were infected in a cluster. Fifty people were also confirmed positive at a nearby middle school sharing the same facilities. The Jeonbuk Provincial Office of Education has recommended that schools suspend themed field experiential learning from the second semester.
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