COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM PUSHED BACK OVER VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

More than anyone else, high school seniors are concerned following the announcement of an unprecedented online semester. The college entrance exam has been pushed back but the inevitability of having to rely on online classes for the time being is a source of concern. We hear from the students.

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As anticipated, the timetable for university admissions will be different this year. Not only is the CSAT pushed back... but the application period for both rolling and regular college admissions is expected to be reduced by about 3 and 10 days respectively. But even this could change depending on the situation down the road.

[Soundbite] (HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR) : "I had a plan laid out with the CSAT date in mind. But now I need to revise it completely. It's tiresome."

Students are concerned online classes might not be enough and many are wondering if private academy lessons are necessary to keep up with peers.

[Soundbite] (HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR) : "I think there will be a bigger gap now between students who mainly focused on school studies and those who attended private academies."

They are not alone. Teachers are just as worried about online classes.

[Soundbite] (HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CLASS TEACHER(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "Many teachers are skeptical of whether we can pull this off. Some worry about the backlash if their online classes are not good enough."

Interactive and in-depth classroom lectures cannot be easily converted to online sessions.

[Soundbite] (HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CLASS TEACHER(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "Classes are about interactions and giving immediate feedback. For seniors, online classes will be no different from watching the existing online lectures."

Without physical contact with students, there are concerns about the integrity of teachers drawing up scholastic records. But there is no clear measure to address this particular issue for now.

[Soundbite] YOO EUN-HAE(MINISTER OF EDUCATION & DEPUTY PM) : "The government will try to minimize such concerns and draft guidelines to ensure a fair assessment process."

As it might be necessary to adjust the level of difficulty for the CSAT, the education ministry will fine tune the issue based on scores received from trial examinations and student response.