Seoul, May 19 (IANS): South Korean high school seniors will resume classes on Wednesday after a spate of delays due to safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, it was reported on Tuesday.

According to education officials, the planned school reopening for high school third graders will proceed as scheduled, 79 days after the original semester start day of March 2, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The Education Ministry postponed the reopening of schools five times, as parents and school officials had misgivings about preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sporadic coronavirus outbreaks added to the anxiety already high amid months-long social distancing.

South Korean schoolchildren have been attending online classes at home since April 9.

For high school seniors, in-person classes are important in the run-up to the national university entrance exam slated for November.

"If the coronavirus crisis deepens, we will surely review school reopening for high schoolers," Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Education Office, said in a briefing Monday.

He added the university exam could be delayed by a month in case of an emergency.