[Anchor]
The new school year in South Korea is set to begin Thursday, more than a month later than usual due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
But classes will be held online.
Despite government assurances that distance learning will go smoothly, there are concerns that both schools and students are not ready.
Low income households are also facing challenges as not all students have access to devices needed for online classes.
Ron Chang reports.
[Reporter]
For the first time here in South Korea, all classes will be held online.
Students in their final years of middle and high school will take on the challenge first, and distance learning will gradually expand to other grades later this month.
Schools will have three options - real-time interactive classes where students connect to their teachers via video link, contents-based classes that focus on watching educational videos and engaging in online discussions or assignment-based classes that consist of book reports.
For all of these methods, students will need to have access to at least one smartphone and a tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
The education ministry has pledged to ensure that all students have the devices ready for the online classes but there are still some regions that lack supply.
Chung-Ang University Professor Kim Ee-gyeong said this could cause educational disparities.
[Clip: Kim: 00:23]
"Many homes have fast internet and advanced laptops and smartphones but some homes and students, they don't. They may be deprived of learning opportunities. The problem is that the digital divide, it can lead to a gap in student achievement."
This digital divide is a problem all over the world, with many students only having exposure to technology at school.
Suejean Hong, the principal of a California school with many low income students, said while her biggest concern is access to technology, she's also worried about how her students will find the time to take part in the classes.
[Clip: Hong: 00:23]
"Our school's plan is to provide asynchronous as well as synchronous learning for our students, and that means that kids are supposed to be on time online at the same time as their teachers, but it might be difficult to do that if students have additional responsibilities at home."
Here in South Korea, there's also the connectivity issue, despite it being one of the most well-connected countries in the world.
The ICT and education ministries have called on both teachers and students to follow certain guidelines, including the use of cable internet rather than cellphones, to ensure stable connections.
Ron Chang, eFM News.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
