South Korea COVID-19 outbreak adds new stress to gruelling, 8-hour exam
02 December, 2020
From avoiding members of the family to skipping extra study at "cram schools", the coronavirus has forced almost half of a million South Korean test-takers and proctors to rethink their strategies ahead of a hyper-competitive university entry exam this week.
The gruelling, nearly eight-hour test on Thursday (Dec 3) is seen as a life-defining event for senior high school seniors. A degree from a prestigious university sometimes appears as a minimum requirement for securing among the coveted but limited corporate jobs in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
This season teachers, proctors and students drastically changed their study and teaching practices to attempt to ensure those taking the test usually do not ruin their chances by getting sick.
"We take caution not only in classes but also during lunch, sitting facing the walls, eating by itself and not speaking at all," said 1 teacher who will as well serve as a proctor, speaking on condition of anonymity as she had not been authorised to talk with the media.
After delaying the test by fourteen days, authorities have prepared 31,291 test venues nationwide because of this year's exam, almost double the quantity from last year to allow more social distancing.
Some venues are specialised to support at least 37 students with confirmed infections, and another 430 in quarantine, deputy education minister Park Baeg-beom told a briefing on Wednesday.
All students must wear masks and you will be separated by plastic screens, Park said.
For students who are suspected cases of COVID-19, proctors must wear protective equipment and accumulate exam papers on plastic bags and wipe them before handing to the staff outside.
South Korea reported 511 new cases by midnight on Tuesday, taking the country’s total to 35,163 with 526 deaths.
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Parents pray during a special service to want their children's success found in the college entrance exam in the Jogye Temple found in Seoul, South Korea, Nov 29, 2020. (Photo: AP/Ahn Young-joon)
STRESSFUL TIMES
Authorities have got urged students to stop going to cram schools and personal lessons, and pleaded with citizens to prevent all non-essential outside activity prior to the exam.
Various students worry all the test day precautions might throw them off their game, or that they might catch the virus ahead of time and feel too sick to execute well.
Song Hae-found in, 18, will sit for the test in Thursday and said her relatives arranged to minimise conversation or contact and kept 2m from her to avoid any possible infection.
"We promised never to leave our very own rooms unless necessary," said Song, who concerned her online classes were not enough to get ready her for the test properly.
"We had to be extra careful of our health and wellness for the test day as a result of the cold weather, but the coronavirus possesses added extra stress."
Health authorities scrambled to prevent a good potential coronavirus cluster this week after students who attended a good cram school in a good Seoul neighbourhood tested positive for the virus.
Students normally go to cram schools to practice test problems for weeks prior to the exam, but a lot of this year's test-takers stayed residence, Jun Jin-mo, a private school desk assistant, told Reuters.
"I can't imagine the stress this year's students possess," Jun said. "The school entrance exam itself has already been a huge barrier, however now there is normally another barrier called the coronavirus."
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