Quiet atmosphere ‘Corona SAT’ … Instead of cheering, say goodbye with a warm hug.

Entry 2020.12.03 10:38 | Revision 2020.12.03 11:03

“Take out your admission ticket. Take out your admission ticket”

On the 3rd at 7:30 am, Seoul Gyeongbok High School. In the cold -6 Celsius weather, students rushed to the school gate to take the 2021 college entrance exam. All of the examinees wore masks, but it seemed difficult to hide their uptight appearance.

The scenery in front of Seoul’s Gyeongbok High School and Idaebu High School (Ihwa Geumran High School) that Chosun Biz visited on that day was quite different from the previous year. This year, as social distancing due to the coronavirus infection strengthened, the enthusiastic support of the juniors disappeared and there was only a calm atmosphere.

The scene where the school’s third-year students lined up in front of the school gate, holding pickets, shouting various cheering slogans, and cheering on the exam-taking seniors, is a familiar sight to see. the day of the SAT of each year. However, this year, both Gyeongbok High School and Idaebu High School were busy at the test site. The Education Ministry banned cheering in front of the test site this year for fear of the crown’s spread.

Instead, the warm view of parents who sent the candidates to the front of the school gate to support their children continued without fail this year. Examinees wearing masks entered the testing room with a thermos in one hand and a hot lunch box in the other. There was also a figure of a father yelling at his children: “Do not tremble, go against it.”

Kim Mo (48), a father who brought the daughter of a high school student to the exam room, said: “After Corona, the boy was unable to go to school and academy properly and had difficulty studying. He said : “I just want to finish well without shaking, as I have practiced putting on a mask and laying an acrylic board at home.”

Some parents were unable to leave for a while after their son walked through the school gate and prayed. The parents’ aunt (54) said: “My son is a retraining student, but he was nervous about the coronavirus this year. I hope he is not mistaken and takes the test with his usual skills.”

The scene of the police car that sounded a siren and dropped off students in front of the school before the entrance deadline for the entrance exam at 8:10 am was repeated again this year. The student got off the patrol car and ran to the test site with an urgent expression.

“Today there are about two students escorted by patrol cars,” said the aunt from the Jongno police station, who helped guide the traffic of the examinees. “I saw a lot of people arrive by taxi.”

Another difference from the previous year was that all of this year’s examinees must go through procedures such as body temperature measurement and mask wear inspection before entering the room. Because body temperature is measured at the entrance to the testing center, many examinees arrived 20 to 30 minutes before closing time.

A high school examinee said, “I rushed out of the house to rush into the room,” he said. “My parents brought a warm compress, but I didn’t use it because I thought my body temperature would rise.”

There were many people who rushed to the Corona SAT. The taxi driver Nomo (52) said: “Last year, I was driving a vehicle that supports the transportation of the examinees, but this year, the car seems to be more full.” It seems that it takes about 50 minutes in 30 minutes, since the vehicle rushes to do so. “

That day, 49.3433 people took the SAT at 1,352 testing centers and 31,301 classrooms in 86 testing districts across the country. Only management, supervisory and quarantine personnel were employed. In case of fever or respiratory symptoms, they were placed in a separate laboratory.

The number of applicants for the SAT dropped by roughly 10% from last year, dropping below 500,000 for the first time since 1994, when the first SAT began. Unlike the number of candidates, the test site has increased 1.5 times compared to Corona.