Education continues via online platforms during disease outbreak

A school student studies at home via online video platforms in Pingliang, Gansu province, Feb 1, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Online education, like online tests, live-streaming courses and learning resources, enriched students' winter vacation during the coronavirus outbreak in China, as the Ministry of Education issued a notice earlier to postpone the 2020 spring semester in an attempt to stop the epidemic before it gets on campus, and to ensure the safety and health of teachers and students, a report issued Monday by People's Daily said.

According to the notice, the ministry asked students stay at home and to not go out, gather, or hold and participate in concentrated activities. Training institutions also were required to cancel their offline courses.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Education is working to coordinate and integrate national, local and school-related teaching resources, the report said, to provide rich, selectable, and high-quality online teaching resources covering all regions in the country.

In Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, the center of the epidemic, local authorities organized online teaching for graduating seniors since Saturday, and other grades will start on Feb 10, according to the report.

"Since we cannot have face-to-face classes, we set up cloud classes so children can study at home," said ministry official who was quoted in the report. The ministry also plans to open a national online cloud class on Feb 17, the report said.

Online education resources not only include academic-related content, but also courses for scientific popularization, physical fitness and psychological counseling. For instance, in Wuhan, students from some primary schools can learn about the coronavirus and its prevention, how to write a thank you note for those fighting at the frontline against the disease, and even have guiding exercise classes online.

"The special holidays and spring festival are a unique growth experience for children. As educators, we should turn these into valuable experiences and courses, and plant the seed for the healthy growth of students and the sustainable development of the society, which is the responsibility of education," Tang Caibin, principal of Hangzhou Shidai Primary School, was quoted in the report.

At the same time, a number of institutions and social forces across the country have given full play to their strong points to provide high-quality, non-profit learning resources to students, including TV stations, science and technology museums and publishers. Companies such as ByteDance and VIPKID also have provided free online platforms or courses, the report said.