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The education ministry also ordered all first-year students moving up from preschool to elementary school, elementary school to middle\/high school, or middle\/high school to university to attend their schools on Apr. 1 for a formal matriculation ceremony, according to the source.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents moving up to new schools aren\u2019t familiar with [their new schools\u2019] academic traditions, so [the authorities] are having all of them attend the ceremonies, with a couple of current students there to help facilitate the events,\u201d the source said, adding, \u201c[The authorities] have told provincial, municipal, and county party committees, education departments and disease control offices to work closely together to conduct the ceremonies in line with the needs of each locale.\u201d<\/p>\n
All of these new incoming students, however, will not attend school from Apr. 2. Instead, teachers will either visit their homes, manage their students’ learning through remote learning, or use USB-based learning materials to conduct their classes.<\/p>\n
After the education ministry\u2019s order was handed down, the parents of students reportedly expressed concern that students will have a hard time keeping up with their curriculums while at home.<\/p>\n
Some parents with the financial means have expressed the desire to hire private tutors to ensure their children continue their studies properly.<\/p>\n
Many parents believe that having teachers visit the homes of their students creates a difficult and uncomfortable learning environment. \u201cTeachers who are having economic troubles intentionally visit students\u2019 homes at lunch time to get a meal, which has led to discontent among parents,\u201d the source explained, adding, \u201cThere are rumors that the [COVID-19] vaccine will be available from May or June, which has led many parents to hope that their kids will be able to attend school again from the next semester.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parents have also complained that despite the fact that schools are closed, their children are still being called out to work at farms for the spring planting season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are plaques on the walls of each classroom with sayings by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il exhorting students to remind themselves that \u2018students must be focused on learning,\u2019 \u2018the main duty of a student is to study well,\u2019 and that \u2018students must prioritize learning,\u2019\u201d the source said, adding, \u201cThe students are reciting these sayings yet are already complaining about heading out to the farm fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.<\/i><\/p>\n