Schools not to resume until COVID-19 outbreak under control
(english.jsjyt.edu.cn) Updated：2020-03-09
Primary school students learn to make artwork in Rugao, East China's Jiangsu province on Jan 19. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]
Schools across China are not allowed to resume until the COVID-19 outbreak has been put under control, Wang Dengfeng, head of the Ministry of Education's (MOE) working group on epidemic control said on March 9.
Wang added that the condition of epidemic control is determined by the central government, and local authorities, specifically to each town, shall consult experts before reopening schools.
He said a wide range of recognition from parents to reopen the school is needed, so as to preparing enough medical supplies, making sure the safety of students and faculty members, and rolling out detailed containment measures before school resumption.
Schools at all levels in China were asked to stagger start times since the COVID-19 outbreak took place in January and they should choose different time slots to start the new semester, making sure there will not be a concentrated mass movement of students.
Internet and TV channels were used to deal with the delay. Primary and secondary students benefited from a national cloud platform which provides them with education resources covering all major school subjects.
Universities and colleges have also worked out various online and live stream classes to help students keep up the studying pace. The MOE has also issued a guideline for universities to conduct online classes, with 22 online platforms offering 24,000 courses to students. The classes were not made in a hurry. Rather, they are of high quality and were carefully selected from courses created over the past few years
For students in remote or rural areas with poor internet accessibility, a television channel by China Education Television started airing classes on Feb 11 so they can study at home.
The ministry ordered schools to not to add an unnecessary academic burden on primary and secondary students through online classes, as criticism went viral on the internet, saying that online teaching have significantly increased the workload for students and teachers.
It also indicated that online courses should include infection prevention, psychological health and educational activities and content rather than just subjects that put extra pressure on students.
