GOVT MEASURES FOR STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS

[Anchor Lead]

High school seniors started going to school last week and now those in other grades will start their in-person classes this Wednesday. With mounting concerns over COVID-19 infections in schools, the education ministry has decided to limit the number of students attending school and provide disease prevention personnel.

[Pkg]

​When some high school seniors were found to have been infected with COVID-19 last week, parents of other students who are about to start school this week couldn’t help feeling anxious.

[Soundbite] (PARENT OF A 1ST GRADER) : "I don’t know whether the students will be able to follow the three basic rules of disease prevention or whether a single teacher can manage and supervise all the students."

A petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website by a high school nurse about the shortage of disease prevention personnel has gained nearly 100,000 signatures.

[Soundbite] (MIDDLE SCHOOL HEALTH TEACHER) : "It’s hard for school staff to carry out all the disease prevention measures. School nurses also have to hold health classes but there are no support staff for health teachers."

The education ministry presented a support plan as parents voiced their growing concerns over in-person classes for all grades. The government has decided to strongly recommend that the total number of students at school at one time should not exceed two-thirds of the entire student body even when high school seniors are at school. The government will also provide more disease prevention staff.

[Soundbite] YOO EUN-HAE(MINISTER OF EDUCATION) : "Some 30,000 after-school instructors, retired teachers, and part-time instructors will be sent to schools to help students practice everyday distancing."

In order for school administrators to focus only on student safety and class preparation, teachers’ external training sessions, meetings, or business trips will be reduced. Parents of elementary school students were also concerned that the emergency childcare service would be terminated once their children went back to school. But the government said the childcare personnel will continue to be provided to double-income, low-income, and single-parent households.