[Student Reporters] Schools in south Korea Haunted by SI

Dowan Suh / <11th, Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies>

With health officials reporting the fourth death from the A/H1N1 flu many are voicing their concerns over the safety of students within school facilities. "With hundreds of teenagers packed into limited spaces schools are most vulnerable to the spread of SI" said Ms. Joo a school nurse at a private boarding school.

According to Ms. Joo her school is even more concerned about the situation due to its significant number of students who stayed abroad during the summer break. "We are taking every measure possible to prevent the flu from spreading" stated Ms. Joo. "Whenever a student leaves the campus and returns we check the student's temperature. If any student's temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius the parents are contacted to take the student back home. Also students are encouraged to wash their hands as often as possible. Students returning from abroad must stay at their homes for a week before coming to school."

Some boarding schools and public high schools have temporarily closed down because some of their students were infected by SI. "We understand that students' studies are important" said a teacher at a foreign language high school in Seoul. "However our top priority is the safety of our students. One person is enough to infect the entire school."

"I definitely have lots of work to do to make up for the classes I have missed" said Lee a junior at Ms. Joo's school. Lee had to stay home for a week because he interned at a laboratory in Mexico during the summer. "Still I cannot complain. The school informed us before the break that we will have to be quarantined for a week after returning from abroad. It was my own choice."

Not everyone is satisfied with the quarantine however. "Students are students. We have to study and get into colleges. The schools should have provided a way for us to take classes separately from other students" said a student from Lee's school. "The National College Entrance Examination is in less than three months so not being able to attend classes for a week can devastate our grades as well as our future."

To minimize the disadvantages of these students the Ministry of Education announced that it will allow students with or suspected of carrying SI to take the last Mock College Entrance Examination before the actual testing at their homes. However policies regarding the actual College Entrance Examination have not yet been announced and quarantined students are trying their best to concentrate on their studies until further announcements.