South Korean school administration goes digital

In a shift towards digitization, the traditional method of submitting a child's absence report by paper, a process familiar to countless South Korean parents, is soon to become a thing of the past. No longer will parents need to fold an absence note, and slip it into their child's backpack. Instead, parents will be able to submit these reports online, according to the Ministry of Education on Monday.

Starting Monday, parents of elementary, middle and high school students across South Korea will be able to report their children's absences and submit supporting documents through the National Education Information System's parent service.

This expansion of the system will also allow parents to access school information, check children’s grades and records, and apply for off-campus experiential learning opportunities.

Previously, parents would manually fill out an absence report form, attach any necessary supporting documents, such as medical certificates, and submit the entire bundle to the homeroom teacher. Teachers would then manually verify and approve the documents, storing them for future reference.

This manual system not only consumed time, but also led to repeated calls for a more streamlined and efficient approach to document storage and absence handling.

In response to these demands, the new digital process will allow parents to simply select the "Absence Report" option from the "Child Support" menu within the NEIS Parent Service. They can then specify the duration of and reason for their child's absence, and upload any supporting documents digitally.

For teachers, this digital transition simplifies their workflow as well. The submitted absence reports and supporting documents will be reviewed and processed online, eliminating the need to manage and store physical copies.

To ensure a smooth transition and broad accessibility, the Ministry of Education has committed to improving the NEIS interface to make it more user-friendly. Recognizing that not all parents may have reliable internet access or may face other technical difficulties, the option to submit documents in person will remain available.