With the closure of schools and universities across China due to COVID-19, millions of students have been affected. But as online classes become available, many students are able to continue their education. CGTN's Wu Lei explains.
Sun Jiayi may appear to be glued to the television set at home. But she's actually taking online classes, ranging from English to public health lessons. Her school is closed due to the coronavirus. But studying at home comes with its set of challenges.
SUN JIAYI Student, Jianping High School "Maybe, you know, some food or other things or mobile phones, you can put them away, when you are having lessons, although the teachers can't hear your voice , you can try to answer it and talk to yourself."
From March 2nd, millions of students in Shanghai will be attending online lessons from home. The Shanghai Municipal Education Commission has chosen over 1000 teachers to pre-record these online classes. Wu Wentao is one of them.
WU WENTAO English Teacher, Jianping High School "We teachers are quite used to the physical environment of classrooms, but now we have to adapt to teaching online. Today in this current situation, I can't see how they react to my lessons. I am talking in front of the camera."
If students have any questions or feedback, they can ask their teachers after class is over. Many teachers say digital teaching requires more preparation time.
ZHANG JU Music Teacher Shanghai Huangpu Luwan No. 1 Central Primary School "We need to prepare pictures, voices and videos to present our lessons in advance. Teachers need more time to search and handle multi-media resources."
Each one of these online classes will last for about 20 to 30 minutes. Students will be offered five or six classes a day in order to limit screen time to two hours a day. Shanghai plans to broadcast these classes on 12 cable TV channels – one for each academic grade.
LU JING Director General Shanghai Municipal Education Commission "There are over 1 million primary and secondary school students. We have to use the most effective and direct teaching method. All lessons will be available both on TV as well as on various internet platforms."
All schools and universities are encouraged to offer online lessons. While this might be easier for urban schools with ample resources, it might not apply to schools from the lesser-developed regions.
WU LEI Shanghai "After such a long holiday, most students and teachers couldn't wait to return to their classrooms, but educational authorities say schooling will not be back to normal until the virus is fully contained."
Besides taking classes at home, Sun Jiayi also exercises regularly, so that she can remain fit and return to school as soon as they are reopened. Wu lei, CGTN, SH.