Adoption of online classes

Focus on digital divide before new school year begins

Elementary, middle and high schools will begin the new school year with online classes starting April 9 as the country continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Senior students in middle and high schools will begin learning online April 9, followed by freshmen and sophomores in secondary schools, and fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools April 16. First to third graders in elementary schools will begin their online classes April 20. Kindergartens and day care centers will remain closed.

The state college entrance exam will be postponed by two weeks and take place Dec. 3 after repeated delays of the new school year. The opening of the spring semester with online classes appears to be an inevitable decision, given that the country is grappling with a growing number of imported cases and infection clusters of COVID-19. It's encouraging though to hear the Ministry of Education forecast cautiously that remote learning may be supplemented [replaced] with [by] offline classes in late April.

What's most worrisome is that online classes could cause confusion in their initial stages because the ministry is ill-prepared for the start of remote video education despite the looming possibility that the coronavirus crisis could persist.

Now narrowing the digital divide is most urgent. Many low-income households are do not have computers and families with two or more children need a sufficient number of the devices to ensure that each child can keep up with their classes. At worst, online classes may not work properly. It's a shame that the country ranks as one of the lowest investors among OECD nations in digital infrastructure for public education despite its status as an IT powerhouse.

Most critical of all is the government's effort to ensure children's right to study no matter what happens. Inequality and alienation are totally unwarranted. The government should do its utmost to bring forward the start of offline classes as soon as possible.