MORE STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL

[Anchor Lead]

A third group of some 1.8 million students in Korea returned to school on Wednesday, which means nearly 4.6 million students across the country, some 77% of the total, have resumed in-person classes amid the pandemic. Meanwhile quarantine authorities have carried out inspections on academies and cram schools as the country continues to battle small scale cluster outbreaks.

[Pkg]

​Starting Wednesday, some 1.8 million high school freshmen, middle school sophomores and elementary school third and fourth graders are returning to classrooms. Schools first reopened on May 20 starting with high school seniors. High school sophomores, middle school seniors, first and second grade elementary school students and kindergarteners followed suit one week later on May 27. Now with this week's third phase school opening, a total of 4.6 million students, over three quarters of the total, are back in school. More schools especially in the Seoul metropolitan area are adjusting class days due to virus fears. Currently, some 530 schools have made adjustments and 99% of them are concentrated in the capital area where cluster infections are not dying down. With growing concerns, education and local authorities carried out special onsite inspections for two days on private education institutes. The education ministry is also reviewing introducing an electronic system using QR codes to compile attendance logs at academies and cram schools. This is to better track down visitor access. Also academies that violate quarantine rules will face tough penalties, such as a no-assembly order. But some are resisting such moves as unacceptable saying that infections are limited to certain academies.