Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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South Korea Restarts School With Concerns About Online Learning

Kelly Kasulis

   SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - South Korean students will begintakingonline
   classesThursdayafter weeks of no school amid the COVID-19 novel
   coronavirus outbreak.
   The unexpectedclosureends with first and second-year students in middle
   and high schools starting the new semester online. Elementary school
   students between the fourth and sixth grades also begin virtual
   learning Thursday.Public school upperclassmenbeganlogging onto virtual
   classrooms April 9.
   Life isexperiencinga new normal in South Korea, where new COVID-19
   infections have hovered around[1]30 confirmed casesin recent days.
   South Korea has endured more than 10,590 cases of the virus and 225
   deaths, though more than half of those infected have now been released
   from isolation, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
   But with five weeks of delays to their new semester, some high school
   students alreadyareworried about how their academic futures will play
   out.
   "I'm concerned because the shortening of summer vacation is going to be
   a big burden for high school seniors," JangEun-ki, a 12th grade student
   atWonjongHighSchool on the outskirts of Seoul, told VOA News. "Summer
   vacation is the time that most of us use to write our personal essays
   for college applications and get feedback from teachers."
   Jang, who hopes to begin his university education next fall, is one of
   thousands of South Korean students who will now be taking their college
   entry exam -- called the "Suneung" or CSAT -- two weeks later than
   scheduled,[2]on Dec. 3.
   He said some students have tried studying while schools are closed,
   buttheyare distracted at home and can't study in libraries because most
   public buildings alsoareshuttered. As it is, the South Korean
   government has extended social distancing guidelines to[3]at least
   April 19.
   "We are having a hard time focusing," Jang said. "I can feel a lack of
   motivation [among us students]."

References

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