The government assessed that the percentage of middle and high school students who failed to meet basic academic standards grew last year as they were forced to take more classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae on Wednesday issued the conclusion as she revealed the results of an annual national-level academic performance evaluation carried out last year. 

Conducted on November 25 and 26, the survey evaluated third-year middle school and second-year high school students in Korean, mathematics and English. It was conducted by sampling around three percent of these students. 

The proportion of students failing to meet basic standards saw the largest increase in English for both age groups. The portion rose from three-point-three percent in 2019 to seven-point-one percent in 2020 for middle school students, and from three-point-six to eight-point-six percent for high schoolers.

In a bid to address further learning loss, the Education Ministry plans to expand in-person classes in phases with the aim of implementing full-scale offline classes in the fall semester.