● Ministry of Education, starting on April 9, high school 3rd, middle school 3rd 'sequential online school'

The opening of elementary, middle and high schools was postponed again. When the spread of coronavirus infection-19 (corona19) was hardly noticeable, the Ministry of Education postponed the opening of school as a high school policy, and instead chose 'online schooling' through distance learning. Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hye and the Minister of Education said in a briefing on the 31st of last month, "Now that we need to prepare for prolonged infectious diseases and prepare for future education, we need to boldly promote distance education." "Korea is an information and communication (IT) powerhouse, and the penetration rate of smart devices and the capability of information and communication are the highest in the world, and there are 450,000 experts who are dedicated to competent teachers and students who cannot be found anywhere in the world." Explained the justification of school selection.


Yes. Korea is an information and communication powerhouse that is inferior to any other developed country in the world. Korea's smartphone penetration rate is 95%, the highest in the world. Without a smartphone, it's been a long time since I became a child or an adult or an anxious person who wears it all day long. In addition, 71.7% of households have computers, such as desktops, laptops, and tablet PCs. However, in order to transform school education into 'remote classes', such an information and communication infrastructure is a necessary and not sufficient condition.

● Schools are essentially 'face to face'… 'Remote class' is difficult to communicate with each other

There are inevitable aspects to fill the learning gap, but there is still a lot of regret for the Ministry of Education's decision. In preparation for the prolongation of the Corona 19 situation, you should have made a preparation and manual for the 'Online Start' earlier. The countermeasures such as `` Try it first and let's see it '' will almost certainly bring social confusion. In order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, the government's request to conduct 'online classes' at schools may in some cases be a responsibility to pass on responsibility to front-line schools, teachers, and parents. Indeed, the teachers, parents, and academic experts I spoke with shared the need for online schooling, but expressed concern over how it was implemented.

'Distance learning' is required for online school. These days, it has been a long time since real-time or pre-recorded online courses have become commonplace in fields such as language and entrance examinations. You don't have to go to the academy directly and the tuition is cheap. However, whether such a system can be applied to a front-line training site is another matter. This is because elementary, middle, and high school classes are basically two-way communication learning, not one-sided transfer of knowledge to students. Especially in the case of elementary school, teachers need to understand the characteristics and level of students as well as provide personality guidance. Discussion classes are also required. It is very difficult for teachers to teach 'rapport' between teachers and students, that is, online classes without establishing an intimate relationship.


● The gap between students may widen in 'remote classes'… "Educational Inequality Concerns"

The most worrying part is the gap between students who accept online learning. One teacher at Gimpo Elementary School said, “Because the teacher cannot see the student himself, children with excellent self-directed learning management skills will have better educational results, and if the self-directed learning ability is poor, rather than coming to school, It seems that the polarization is likely to worsen due to falling further. ” It is a part to be taken into account that voices of concern about 'educational inequality due to online classes' appear in the field of education.

Parents worry the same thing. In the online parent community, concerns about distance learning from elementary school students have already been tumultuous. It's hard for an adult to sit and listen to an online lecture for 40 minutes, but I'm worried about how an elementary school student with insufficient concentration can sit still and listen. In the case of working couples, I also sighed that it would be something my grandfather's grandfather could do, but I had to take care of who had my child seated in time for the remote class and that the device worked. Some parents will send it to the study room or academy if they cannot follow the online lessons.

● Establish communication networks necessary for 'online classes' and disseminate smart devices.

If you have more than two elementary, middle, and high school children, you will hear the voice of whether you need to buy a smart device such as a laptop or tablet PC for real-time education. Although there is a smartphone, the screen is too small for distance learning. The Ministry of Education recently surveyed 67% of schools and found that there are 170,000 students without smart devices. The Ministry of Education said that there would be no problem if you rent a smart device such as a tablet PC owned by a front-line school, but to receive online classes, you must have a wireless Internet network in each home as well as the device.


Schools need a network for distance learning as well. The Ministry of Education has been building wireless network business for elementary and middle schools since 2018, but there are no wireless networks installed in more than 3,600 elementary and junior high schools. Most desktops spread to schools do not have a webcam for video calls, so it is necessary to teach with a teacher's smartphone or laptop. This means that most schools do not have enough infrastructure for distance learning unless designated as a pilot school or a leading school.

● Developed countries such as the United States also closed schools in Corona… Head to 'Online Lessons'

It is also urgent to build an infrastructure such as a communication network required for distance learning, but how to efficiently deliver school class content is a more important issue. For teachers who are unfamiliar with online classes, they must hurry up and develop their own training programs. It can be done at the school level, but the government should spare administrative and financial support. The Ministry of Education said, "We will discover best practices through remote class pilot schools and share them with other teachers." However, chaos seems inevitable in front-line schools that should be implemented in April.

'Online schooling' is not our only problem. Corona 19 is now a problem in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. In the United States, more than 30,000 elementary, middle, and high schools are close to school, with similar concerns. Their biggest concern is the establishment of communication networks and the supply of insufficient smart devices, but in essence, they are more concerned about the 'digital learning gap'. In the United States, there are concerns among education experts that the gap between income, race, and education level is larger and more diverse than that of our students, so it is highly likely that students in vulnerable classes will lag behind 'remote classes'. That's why even the United States, a developed country in education, is struggling that online classes cannot replace the essence of school classes.

Nevertheless, in the current pandemic, the global epidemic, 'online learning' is an inevitable reality. When cultivating preliminary teachers in the future, these 'remote classes' should be regular courses, digitizing the contents of school classes, and expanding the necessary infrastructure for online learning such as developing necessary equipment. Corona19 is changing the frame of our lives, jobs and relationships. One day Corona will end, but it is time for government and education to gather wisdom for the second Corona.