Relief for parents and kids as new school term begins
By Morag Hobbs
03:10

After months of schools being closed due to COVID-19, the last of Beijing's students returned to classes this week, when the city's kindergartens reopened in the final stage of a grade-by-grade process that began in August.

The move has been greeted with general delight by parents, teachers, and students. But still, strict controls are in place.

At Frobel International Kindergarten, Rediscovering China witnessed students passing through the school gates one-by-one, each escorted by a masked teacher. They lined up to have their temperature taken, then washed their hands before removing their mask for a doctor's inspection. Handed a green chip to prove they are healthy, each child then ran to their teacher, eager to start the new semester.

The special regulations, which the students are evidently taking in their stride, are part of the new normal school day. Kindergartens across Beijing must now abide by strict prevention regulations, including teachers wearing masks, disinfection, and temperature checks throughout the day.

The kindergarten's principal, Zhang Xiao, said, "We've had to wait a long time to reopen the school, and seeing the students come back is really good for all the teachers."

The families shared Zhang's delight. One parent explained, "My son's very excited. He'd been counting down the days. He kept asking, 'When can I go back to kindergarten?'"

After eight months spent learning from home, the chance to once again study, play, and bond with other students has been a long time coming for these youngsters. "Our son was so happy, he cried when he got back to school," said another happy parent.

It hasn't been an easy year for international schools like Frobel, which rely largely on tuition fees to cover their running costs. Another problem many of them are grappling with is the absence of some teachers who originally left the country for Chinese New Year and are still trapped overseas. Reuters has reported that at the start of September, as many as 40 percent of teachers and students due to start the new term at China's international schools remained abroad, with a survey taken in July finding that over 3,000 teachers and their dependents were unable to enter the country due to visa and flight restrictions.

Zhang agreed that this year has been difficult. Yet the kindergarten managed to stay afloat while keeping its teachers employed. "We kept working… because the teachers still needed money to live," she said. "So, we created some online activities - the teachers organized WeChat videos with the kids so that we could pay them."

As many countries worldwide are currently discovering, there will always be concerns over the risk of a resurgence of the coronavirus when schools reopen. But the parents here seemed content with the efforts being made to keep their children safe. Even though students are not obliged to wear a mask on the school grounds, strict preventative measures are still in force.

One parent explained that safety had been her top priority, ever since the outbreak began. "But the anti-virus measures in Beijing and the whole country have been strict and effective," she said. "The teachers also explained the new measures adopted in kindergarten, which put my mind at ease."

And according to another parent: "I'm not worried about safety, because the kindergarten has introduced very professional measures. And the teachers have had a long time to prepare. So I'm not worried."