Universities uncertain about in-person classes amid Omicron spread

A student enters a building on Seoul National University's campus in Gwanak District, Seoul, Dec. 7, 2021. Newsis

By Lee Hyo-jin

Local universities are uncertain as to whether to begin the upcoming spring semester with in-person classes amid concerns over the increasing spread of the Omicron variant.

In October of last year, under the government's "Living with COVID-19" strategy, the Ministry of Education had planned a full resumption of offline lectures in colleges and universities from the first semester in 2022.

However, the plan was met with a setback after a surge of infections and the rise of the new variant which led to the government halting the phased return to normalcy in late November and instead bringing back more stringent social distancing measures.

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The education ministry announced on Jan. 5 that it will support the universities for a normal spring semester, but it has yet to introduce detailed measures.

While the absence of government guidelines has left educational institutions uncertain on how to begin the new semester, several universities are planning to conduct in-person classes in a limited manner and offer hybrid courses ― a mixture of in-person classes and remote ones.

Kyung Hee University announced on Jan. 11 that major courses with less than 30 students will be conducted offline, while all general education courses will be provided online.

Sogang University said that it plans to hold classes with 40 students or more virtually, and offline classes will be conducted in adherence with the government's social distancing rules.

Seoul National University said that it will announce details after further discussions this week.

The education ministry, for its part, said that it will hold a meeting with university officials later this week to gather opinions on how to conduct the spring semester.

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