Going forward, midterms and finals can be held even on temporary holidays. The change follows criticism that schools faced difficulties running academic schedules because classes or exams could not be held on temporary holidays.
The Ministry of Education said on Apr. 6 that partial amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Enforcement Decree of the Early Childhood Education Act containing these measures were reviewed and approved.
According to the Ministry of Education, schools will be able to hold school events or administer exams on temporary holidays after collecting opinions from students, parents, and teachers and undergoing deliberation by the school steering committee. Until now, school events such as sports days or field trips were allowed on holidays, but classes or exams could not be held.
In addition, kindergartens and schools will not be required to convene the steering committee when a temporary holiday is designated unless there is a special reason. The decision reflects concerns that when a temporary holiday was designated abruptly, the committee had to be convened urgently to decide whether to close, creating a heavy administrative burden.
Minister Choi Kyo-jin of the Ministry of Education said, "This amendment actively reflects the central government proposal made by the Council of Provincial Superintendents of Education last year," adding, "We expect it will reduce the workload at the education front line and enable stable academic operations."