Seoul Kindergartens and Elementary & Special Schools Closed for One Day on the 6th
Middle Schools Choose Remote Classes or Closure Autonomously
High School Principals Decide on In-Person Attendance
Typhoon No. 11 'Hinnamnor' is moving northward on the 5th, and citizens are hurrying their steps near Boramae Park in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education decided on the 6th to suspend in-person classes for kindergartens, elementary, and middle schools for one day. All kindergartens, elementary schools, and special schools in Seoul will be closed on that day.
On the 5th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education held an emergency regional incident response headquarters meeting to prepare for Typhoon Hinnamnor, and after gathering opinions from education support offices, decided to adjust the academic schedule.
Kindergartens, elementary schools, and special schools will all be closed, and in-person classes will be suspended up to middle school. However, middle schools may choose autonomously between closure or remote classes. High schools will have the discretion to decide whether to hold in-person classes.
Considering that the crisis alert level was raised from "interest" to "serious" due to Typhoon Hinnamnor and concerns about safety, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education made a blanket closure decision only for kindergartens and elementary schools. This measure also took into account that first and second graders in elementary schools have continued attending in-person classes despite the COVID-19 situation.
The Office plans to continue operating care classrooms to prevent any care gaps. However, safety management will be strengthened, such as requiring guardians to accompany students during arrival and dismissal.
In the case of high schools, the decision on whether to suspend in-person classes was left to the discretion of the school principals. This reflected the opinions expressed during the emergency countermeasure meeting that many high schools wished to continue normal attendance.
The Office formed a "Situation Management Task Force" and entered an emergency duty system. The task force will check △pre-inspection of disaster-vulnerable facilities △removal of risk factors △safety measures for facilities △adjustment of academic operations.
Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "Student safety is the top priority, and proactive academic operation adjustments and prior measures are necessary for safety," adding, "I hope the education office and schools will do their best to ‘urgently respond’ to overcome typhoon damage and prevent recurrence of the damage experienced during the recent heavy rains."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
