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A teacher at a high school in Seoul’s Eunpyeong District prepares for classes on May 19. (Park Jong-shik, staff photographer)

South Korea’s schools are opening again 80 days after they were closed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Speaking the day before 445,000 third-year high school students about to attend classes nationwide, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hae said that on-campus classes “are a process we absolutely need to go through under the circumstances with the end of the coronavirus situation being uncertain.”

She went on to say that the Ministry of Education (MOE) would be “transitioning into an emergency working system for on-campus classes and responding promptly in real time, 24 hours a day.” In Q&A format, we addressed some of the questions people are having about what schools will look like in the wake of the outbreak.

Q: Will students be going to school every day like before?

A: High school students in their third year are expected to go to school every day like before, given the urgency of their college entrance examination or future employment. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) has clearly indicated that third-year high school students are to attend school every day as a rule, and Yoo has made similar remarks. Even if the authorities do not state “rules” on the matter, third-year students in high school are very likely to attend daily classes at most schools. The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (BMOE) has stated that in addition to third-year high school students, third-year middle schools are also to attend every day as a rule.

At other grade levels, differences in the number of on-campus class days may arise according to regional and school conditions. Currently, the MOE has issued guidelines stating that online classes should be regarded as the “basic framework” as on-campus classes are implemented. SMOE recommended on-campus classes at least once a week, which may become the minimum guideline.

Q: Classrooms tend to be cramped spaces. Will it be possible to establish adequate distancing?

A: If dividing or increasing classes are not options due to spatial or staff limitations, the only option will be to alternate online and on-campus classes. If only a portion of grade levels attend school, then some may attempt to use special rooms and other locations to establish distances. Some offices of education have come out with separate measures for schools that are exceptionally large or overcrowded. A total of 22,895 classes in South Korea, or 9.8% of all classes are classified as “overcrowded” -- defined as those with more than 30 students per class.

BMOE plans to implement staggered arrival times of different grades by 20 minutes or more at schools with 1,000 or more total students, while relocating lockers within classrooms to maximize space in classes with over 30 students. Other offices of education in Daejeon and elsewhere have indicated plans to reduce class times by five minutes and ensure gaps of around 15 minutes for arrival times and break times.

Q: How will school meals be handled?

A: School meals have been raised as one of the most difficult areas of reopening schools. The examples mentioned in disease prevention guidelines include providing alternative meals, having students packed lunches, transitioning to classroom-made meals, or staggering meal times. They also suggest putting partitions in place if they maintain cafeteria-based meals. Since the number of schools that can realistically adopt classroom-based meals is not large, it appears likely that many schools will either stagger meal times or install partitions.

Q: What sort of disease prevention guidelines will need to be observed in schools?

A: Schools are free to decide their own methods of conducting on-campus classes, but the guidelines for disease prevention remain universal. Students should monitor their own health situation at home, and they can only go to school if they show no irregularities. Schools are to perform temperature checks when students arrive and periodically thereafter. If students show symptoms, their condition is to be observed in a “temporary observation room,” after which they are to immediately proceed to a screening clinic for testing. Testing is free of charge, and a 119 (emergency services) ambulance is to provide transportation from the school to the clinic. In the event that a suspected or confirmed coronavirus case is found, all students and faculty are to return home immediately and classes are to be conducted on a remote basis.

By Choi Won-hyung, staff reporter

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