Schools in Seoul area to return to partial e-learning

Seoul, Dec 16 (IANS) Schools in the greater Seoul area will roll back their full in-person classes and return to partial e-learning from next week in line with the country's tightened anti-Covid curbs amid an unabated resurgence, the Education Ministry announced on Thursday.

Under its restored e-learning scheme, middle and high schools in the greater capital area and densely populated schools outside the zone will run at two-thirds capacity of its normal level, starting from December 20 and to be effective till the winter vacation season in late December, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

Classes for elementary school students in their third to six years will run at 75 per cent capacity, while the first and second years will continue with fully in-person classes, according to the Ministry.

Schools will also be advised against big in-person school activities, including graduation ceremonies, and given a three-day grace period to implement the new measures.

The Ministry will also recommend universities resort to e-learning for big classes and strictly enforce social distancing in classes held during the winter vacation period.

The measures mark a turnaround after in-person school classes fully resumed across the nation on November 22 in line with the "living with Covid-19" scheme.

Withdrawing the scheme aimed at bringing the country back to normal, the government unveiled plans to reinstitute a four-person ceiling on private gatherings nationwide and a 9 p.m. curfew on cafes and restaurants, to be effective from Saturday until January 2, in a bid to stem the resurging pandemic.