PM inspects college admissions test preparation, calls for tough antivirus measures

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday inspected antivirus preparations for next week's annual state college entrance exam and asked officials to implement strict disease control measures to ensure the safety of test takers.

This year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), slated for Dec. 3, comes amid reports of sharp hikes in new coronavirus cases across South Korea. The CSAT is arguably the nation's most important annual academic event. Public institutions and the stock markets open an hour late to reduce traffic congestion so that students can arrive at test sites on time.

Chung visited Kyungbock High School, a CSAT test venue in Seoul's central Jongno Ward, accompanied by Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Education Office, Chung's office said in a press release.

He said that the government was doing its utmost for the safety of all test takers, including both healthy examinees as well as those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Chung also asked local education offices and governments, as well as schools, to adopt stricter pre-exam preparations and antivirus measures to allow a safe testing environment.

A total of 493,433 have applied to take the CSAT this year, according to education authorities.

According to the education ministry, 21 of the test-takers were confirmed to have contracted the virus and 144 were in self-quarantine as of Thursday.

The patients will take tests at the hospitals and treatment centers they are staying in, while those in self-quarantine will be assigned separate testing sites.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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