China’s education arrangements during
COVID-19 pandemic period
(Information as of 20 May 2020)
According to the World
Health Organisation, school closures due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have
affected over 1.5 billion children and young people around the world. This includes 270 million
students in mainland China who were unable to start their spring semester (February
– August 2020) on campus as planned.
To minimize the impact on education
continuity, the Chinese Government introduced various measures applicable in the
COVID-19 context. These are outlined
below.
Limiting
face to face teaching
In late January 2020,
mainland China postponed all educational activities and the Chinese Ministry of
Education (MoE) urged schools and higher education institutions to use online
delivery as an alternative to face-to-face teaching. Of significance, this
marks the first time online delivery has been permitted, at great scale, as part
of formal education delivery in China.
In response to the call, the
majority of provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in mainland China
pushed back the spring semester start date and transitioned to teaching classes
online.
From April 2020, on-campus
teaching began to gradually re-open for school students, starting with graduating
classes in high schools (Years 9 and 12, as well as graduating classes of
secondary vocational schools). By 11 May, all mainland
provinces/municipalities and autonomous regions had recommenced on-campus
teaching for senior high schools and 26 permitted students back on campus in
higher education institutions – meaning
around 107.79 million students (~39% of China’s student population from
kindergarten, primary and secondary school and higher education institutions)
had returned to campus.
Students physically attending
class on-campus are required to have their temperature taken throughout the
day, wear protective masks except when outdoors or in low-risk environments and
eat separately from each other. In some cities such as Guangzhou and Shenyang,
all Years 9 and 12 students, staff and faculty were asked to take the COVID-19
nucleic acid test before returning to campus. It is understood nucleic
acid testing has also been adopted by some individual institutions, especially
higher education institutions, as a preventive measure.
Due to higher health risks,
several cities had to postpone their school re-commencement plan until further
notice. Education authorities in some cities that have been harder hit with COVID-19,
such as Jilin
and Shulan in Jilin Province, have recalled
students that had already started on-campus learning to home-based online
learning until further notice. Some universities have announced that
face-to-face teaching would not resume for the entire semester. Xi’an
Jiaotong-Liverpool University – a Sino Foreign joint venture between Xi’an
Jiaotong University and University of Liverpool - announced that all of its
undergraduate and postgraduate students would continue to study online and not
return to campus for the entire second semester.
On 31 March, it was announced
that China’s National College Entrance Exam (Gaokao), which usually takes place
in June every year, would be postponed by one month to July 2020. This is the first time
that Gaokao has been postponed nationwide since it was resumed in 1977. Furthermore,
all TOEFL, GRE and IELTS tests in Mainland China
were cancelled for February until end of May 2020 due to the pandemic, which
has disrupted many students’ overseas study plans.
Assisting
with the transition to online and distance delivery modes
To support education
institutions’ transition to online learning, the MoE issued on 4 February 2020
the “Guidance on the organisation and
management of online teaching and learning in regular higher education
institutions”.[13] The document requested higher education
institutions to use online platforms to facilitate remote study and recommended
22 online platforms in China capable of providing 24,000 higher education
courses for free (see appendix A for list of platforms).
These materials include
MOOCs (massive open online courses), SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses) and
virtual simulation experiments covering 12 disciplines at undergraduate level
and 18 disciplines at higher vocational level.[14] The majority of platforms listed by the
MoE are established by top Chinese universities or enterprises. More than half of China’s higher education
institutions commenced the spring semester online using existing online content
and live-streamed classes.
At school level, the MoE,
together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT),
launched an online portal on 17 February 2020 for primary and secondary school
students in China. The platform provides digital materials
for schools to conduct teaching online and is capable of supporting 50 million
students using it simultaneously. As of 11 May 2020, the platform had been
visited over 2 billion times by people from all 31 mainland provinces.[17] However, students and institutions have
raised issues (such as technical limitations), especially in rural areas which
may lack reliable internet connectivity and where many students/families are
unable to afford the necessary equipment to access online content.
The MIIT issued a notice on
3 March announcing plans to strengthen broadband coverage during the pandemic
outbreak period to support online studies. Furthermore, on 16 March,
the MoE released a guideline pledging to better apply information technology in
primary and secondary schools to ensure universal access to quality education. Some provinces have also subsidized
students to gain access to online studies. Liaoning Province, for example, has
paid a total of 7 million RMB (1.4 million AUD) to around 20,000 students from
higher education institutions in the province to buy equipment or pay for
internet access.
On 13 March, UNESCO
published a list of recommended applications, platforms and resources to help
people around the world cope with school closures. Three platforms and apps
developed by Chinese institutions and enterprises were included – iCourse,
Dingtalk and Mosoteach.
On 10 April, the MoE announced that China would consolidate English
language materials provided by universities in China and launch an English
language online education platform, to support students around the world.
Supporting
students abroad
One of the main concerns for Chinese
students studying overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic is that their foreign
qualification, obtained partially online during this period may not be verified
by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) – an affiliated
agency to the MoE that conducts official verification of foreign (overseas)
academic qualifications. This concern is understandably shared by providers
around the globe who wish to ensure that their offerings to Chinese students
continue to meet the needs and requirements of Chinese students and regulators.
On 3 April 2020, the CSCSE announced
that foreign qualifications obtained partially online due to an inability to
attend campus during the COVID-19 pandemic period should not influence
verification of foreign qualifications. This is the first time that the CSCSE has given an exception to
qualifications obtained through online studies.
There are around 1.6 million Chinese
students currently enrolled in educational courses overseas, and as of early
April 2020, 1.4 million remained outside of China. According to the MoE,
students are mainly located in the following countries:
United States of America –
410,000
Australia and New Zealand –
280,000
Canada – 230,000
United Kingdom – 220,000
Japan and Korea – 180,000
Germany and France – 110,000
The MoE has been working with other
Chinese government ministries and agencies to support Chinese students overseas
by maintaining communication through the 280 Chinese Embassies and Consulates around
the world. The Chinese Government has also been distributing “COVID-19 health
packages” to Chinese students abroad. As of 2 April, 500,000 “health packages” had
been prepared, containing equipment such as masks, disinfectant wipes, Chinese
medicine and an information pamphlet.
On 26 March, the Civil Aviation
Administration of China announced a substantial reduction of international
passenger flights (both Chinese and foreign airlines were allowed to maintain
one route from China to any country with no more than one flight per week), and Chinese citizens were
left with limited options to fly back to China. Media reports suggest that between
4 March and 12 April 2020, the Chinese Government had sent 16 charter
flights overseas to pick up its citizens from countries that were hard hit by
COVID-19. The flights brought back to China a reported 1,449 Chinese students
studying abroad.
More flights were also reported to have been organised in May to bring back
Chinese citizens from countries such as the USA and UK, with seats mainly
reserved for younger students and students who have graduated.
The CSCSE cancelled the 25th
China International Education Exhibition Tour (CIEET) – one of the largest
annual international student recruitment events in China, which was supposed to
take place from 21-29 March 2020. However, the CSCSE has confirmed that CIEET
2021 will be held 20-28 March 2021 as planned.
Supporting
employment
Around 8.7 million students are expected
to graduate from Chinese higher education institutions in 2020, up by 400,000
from 2019. With the pandemic forcing colleges and universities to delay
entrance in the first quarter, students are facing uncertainty as to whether
they can graduate on time and secure employment in the current economic
circumstances.
On 28 February, a press conference was
held by the MoE and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. It was
announced that the government would initiate four action plans to help
graduates overcome their difficulties:
- Maximise
employment opportunities through
plans such as increasing employment quotas
in basic education, health and community service. The MoE also encouraged graduates
to join the army.
- Expand
pathways for further education including by increasing admissions for Masters degrees
by around 189,000 places in disciplines such as clinical medicine, public
health, integrated circuits and artificial intelligence. The admissions quota
for college students to enter university was to also increase by about 322,000 places
in disciplines such as preventative medicine, emergency management, aged care
service management and e-commerce.
- Explore
more channels for employment. The
government is undertaking to arrange various online recruitment events for
students. It has negotiated with 5 major
employment portals (51 jobs, Zhaopin, Boss Zhipin and Liepin) to offer free
services to higher education graduates via a Campus Recruitment Service
Campaign (www.ncss.cn). More than 2 million positions were released
through the service campaign after one week of the portal being launched. The MoE also launched a 24 hour employment service
hotline for graduates on 28 February 2020.
- Asking
teachers and professors to provide tailored guidance and support to students on employment.
For students that are set to graduate
this year, many universities are encouraging students to conduct their thesis
defense online so that they can graduate in mid-2020 as planned. Wuhan
University has officially announced that all of its 2020 undergraduate
graduating class will conduct their thesis defense online.
On 15 April 2020, the MoE announced a
“One-on-one Employment and Entrepreneurship Support Action Plan” for the period
of April to September 2020. The action plan will allow top higher education
institutions in China (outside of Hubei) to share recruitment resources such as
employment/internship opportunities and support services with higher education
institutions in Hubei. The action plan will operate as a partnership model with
the first phase involving 48 partnerships. (see full list in
appendix B)
Besides supporting graduates to find
employment, it is understood the Chinese Government is also looking to expand online
vocational training to upskill the workforce, especially for those that are
unemployed. On 6 February, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social
Security, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, MIIT
and All-China Federation of Trade Unions announced a large-scale online
vocational training program for the COVID-19 pandemic period, which aims to
provide free skills training to over 5 million people between March and June 2020.
A total of 54 platforms were made free to the
public. By late April, one of the main platforms offering the training – “China
Vocational Training Online” – had been registered by over 1 million people.
Looking forward
The COVID-19 situation appears to be stabilizing
in China and schools are gradually opening up to students after an extended winter/spring
break. The next challenge for Chinese schools and institutions is to ensure
campus safety and monitor the health of all students, faculty and staff as they
return to face-to-face learning.
Students in China and across the world
have gained extensive experience in online studies for the past few months. It
will be interesting to see whether some of the functions of teaching and
learning online will be maintained and further developed in the post COVID-19
world.
Appendix A
|
Code
|
Platform
|
Host organisation
|
Target audience
(during COVID-19 period)
|
|
1
|
|
Higher Education Press
Youdao
|
All Chinese HEI teachers and students, as well as the public
|
|
2
|
|
Tsinghua University
|
All Chinese HEI
teachers and students
|
|
3
|
|
Shanghai Zhuoyue Ruixin Digital Technology Co., Ltd
|
HEI teachers and staff
|
|
4
|
|
Open University of
China,
Beijing Century Superstar Information Technology Development Co.,Ltd
|
Regular
undergraduate institutions and higher vocational institutions
|
|
5
|
|
Beijing Chaoxing Erya Education Technology Co.,Ltd
|
Regular HEIs, primary and secondary schools and learners from
the society
|
|
6
|
|
People’s Medical
Publishing House
|
Chinese medical HEIs
and learners from the society that are interested in medical studies
|
|
7
|
|
Shenzhen University
|
Non-central government affiliated HEIs
|
|
8
|
|
Shanghai Jiao Tong
University
|
Chinese HEIs
|
|
9
|
|
Renmin University of China
|
Chinese HEI teachers and students
|
|
10
|
|
Peking University
|
Chinese HEI teachers
and students, and learners from the society
|
|
11
|
|
Beijing Foreign Studies University
|
Chinese HEI teachers and students, and foreign language learners
from the society
|
|
12
|
|
Huike Group
|
Chinese HEI teachers
and students, and learners from the society
|
|
13
|
|
Beijing Ulearning Online Education Technology Co., Ltd.
|
Chinese undergraduate level institutions and vocational
institutions
|
|
14
|
|
People.cn
|
Chinese HEI teachers
and students, and learners from the society
|
|
15
|
|
Higher Education Press
|
Chinese higher vocational institution teachers and students
|
|
16
|
|
China Distance
Education Holdings Ltd., CDEL
|
Chinese HEIs;
Academic office, teachers and students of technical secondary schools
|
|
17
|
|
Xiamen Netinnet Software Co.,Ltd
|
Chinese HEIs; Academic office, teachers and students of
technical secondary schools
|
|
18
|
|
Zhejiang Radio and
TV University
|
Zhejiang based HEI
teachers and students; HEI teachers and students from other provinces and
learners from the society
|
|
19
|
|
Department of Education of Anhui Province
University of Science and Technology of China
|
Anhui based HEIs, students, teachers
|
|
20
|
|
Chongqing Municipal
Education Commission
|
Chongqing based HEIs
students and learners from the society
|
|
21
|
|
Higher Education Press
|
Chinese HEI students, medical workers and learners from the
society
|
|
22
|
|
Hunan Zhiqing
Technology Co.,Ltd (unofficial translation)
Directed by: Chinese Higher Education Computing Education MOOC Association,
Information technology New Engineering Industry-University-Research Alliance
(unofficial translations)
|
Undergraduate
institutions and higher vocational institutions
|
Appendix B
List of higher education institutions selected for the
first phase of “One-on-one Employment and Entrepreneurship Support Action Plan”
(15 April)
|
Code
|
Hubei based institutions
|
Supporting partner
|
|
1
|
Wuhan University
|
Peking University
|
|
2
|
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
|
Tsinghua University
|
|
3
|
Central China Normal University
|
Beijing Normal University
|
|
4
|
Wuhan University of Technology
|
Renmin University of China
|
|
5
|
China University of Geosciences
(Wuhan)
|
Beijing Institute of Technology
|
|
6
|
Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
|
Central University of Finance and Economics
|
|
7
|
Huazhong Agricultural University
|
Zhejiang University
|
|
8
|
South Central University for Nationalities
|
Fudan University
|
|
9
|
Hubei University
|
Sun Yat-sen University
|
|
10
|
Wuhan University of Science and Technology
|
South China University of Technology
|
|
11
|
China Three Gorges University
|
Chongqing University
|
|
12
|
Yangtze University
|
Tongji University
|
|
13
|
jianghan University
|
Southwest University
|
|
14
|
Hubei University of Technology
|
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
|
|
15
|
Wuhan Institute of
Technology
|
China University of Petroleum
(Beijing)
|
|
16
|
Wuhan Textile University
|
Donghua University
|
|
17
|
Hubei University of Chinese
Medicine
|
Beijing University of Chinese
Medicine
|
|
18
|
Wuhan Polytechnic University
|
Central South University
|
|
19
|
Hubei Normal University
|
Northeast Normal University
|
|
20
|
Hubei University of Automotive Technology
|
Beihang University
|
|
21
|
Hubei University for
Nationalities
|
Minzu University of China
|
|
22
|
Hubei University of Medicine
|
China Pharmaceutical University
|
|
23
|
Hubei University of Economics
|
Shanghai University of Finance
and Economics
|
|
24
|
Wuhan Sports University
|
Beijing Sports University
|
|
25
|
Hubei Institute of Fine Arts
|
Central Academy of Fine
Arts
|
|
26
|
Wuhan Conservatory Of Music
|
Shanghai Conservatory of Music
|
|
27
|
Hubei University of Arts and
Science
|
East China Normal University
|
|
28
|
Hubei Engineering University
|
Tianjin University
|
|
29
|
Hubei University of Science and
Technology
|
University of Science and
Technology
|
|
30
|
Huanggang Normal University
|
Hunan Normal University
|
|
31
|
Hubei Polytechnic University
|
Dalian University of Technology
|
|
32
|
Hubei University of Education
|
South China Normal University
|
|
33
|
Jingchu University of Technology
|
East China University of Science
and Technology
|
|
34
|
Wuhan Business University
|
Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
|
|
35
|
Hanjiang Normal University
|
Zhejiang Normal University
|
|
36
|
Wuhan University of Bioengineering
|
China Agricultural University
|
|
37
|
Wuhan Huaxia University of
Technology
|
Jiangnan University
|
|
38
|
Wuhan University of Science and Technology Urban College
|
Chang'an University
|
|
39
|
Wuhan Institute of Shipbuilding
Technology
|
Fujian Chuanzheng Communications
College
|
|
40
|
Hubei Polytechnic Institute
|
Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic
|
|
41
|
Huanggang Polytechnic College
|
Jinhua Polytechnic
|
|
42
|
Xiangyang Polytechnic
|
Ningbo Polytechnic West Campus
|
|
43
|
Enshi Vocational and Technical
College
|
Hangzhou Vocational &
Technical College
|
|
44
|
Jingzhou Institute of Technology
|
Wenzhou Polytechnic
|
|
45
|
Hubei Vocational and Technical
Institute of Communications
|
Beijing Polytechnic College
|
|
46
|
Hubei Three Gorges Vocational and Technical College
|
Chengdu Polytechnic
|
|
47
|
Xianning Vocational Technical
College
|
Wuxi Institute of Technology
|
|
48
|
Wuhan City Polytechnic
|
Shenzhen Polytechnic
|
[1] “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Situation Report – 77.” World Health Organization, 6 Apr. 2020, www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200406-sitrep-77-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=21d1e632_2.
[4] People’s Republic of China, Ministry of Education
Official Wechat account “全国超1亿学生已返校，校园疫情防控如何做？教育部这场发布会详解 (More than 100 million students across the
country have returned to campus, how will schools conduct disease control and
prevention? The Ministry of Education holds press conference to give out
details )” , 12 May 2020 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/oK7wQe7UiVza-6kUCm-gxw
Jilin City Education Bureau, “我市强化城区教育教学活动管控措施 _ 即日起禁止校内外所有聚集性活动 (The city
strengthens management and control measures of education and teaching
activities in urban areas _ Immediately prohibit all gathering activities
inside and outside the school), 24 April 2020, http://edu.jlcity.gov.cn/jyzx/jyyw/202004/t20200424_772227.html
[13] People’s
Republic of China, Ministry of Education, “教育部应对新型冠状病毒感染肺炎疫情工作领导小组办公室关于在疫情防控期间做好普通高等学校在线教学组织与管理工作的指导意见” (Guiding
Opinions of the MoE’s leading group on responding to the COVID-19 outbreak on
the management of higher education online education during the epidemic
outbreak period), 24 February 2020, http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A08/s7056/202002/t20200205_418138.html
[17] People’s
Republic of China, Ministry of Education Official Wechat account “疫情期间国家中小学网络云平台浏览次数超20亿，这场发布会详解中小学线上教学情况“ (National cloud learning platform for primary and secondary school viewed over 2
billion times, this press conference gives out details)” https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/RqztvCSY-FfIzD3M4cENrA，14 May 2020
[18] People’s
Republic of China, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, “工业和信息化部办公厅关于进一步做好新冠肺炎疫情防控期间宽带网络助教助学工作的通知” (Notice
of the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on
further strengthen broad band network to support online learning during
COVID-19 outbreak period) , 3 March 2020, http://www.miit.gov.cn/n1146295/n1652858/n1652930/n3757016/c7761574/content.html
[19] Liang, Jun.
“China to Promote IT Application in School Education.” People.cn, 16 Mar. 2020,
en.people.cn/n3/2020/0316/c90000-9668812.html.
[20] Liu, Yu. “辽宁：确保大学生在线学习“一个都不能少” (Liaoning: to ensure every university
student can access online learning)
[21] Distance
Learning Solutions. UNESCO, 13 Mar. 2020, en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/solutions.
[22] Zhao,
Wenhan, editor. “我国高校将为各国大学生提供线上课程.” (China
to provide online education for university students around the world)10 Apr.
2020, www.xinhuanet.com/2020-04/10/c_1125839976.htm.
[23] Chinese
Service Center for Scholarly Exchange. “关于新冠肺炎疫情影响下留学归国人员学位认证工作的几点说明.” (A few
notes on verification service for foreign degree qualification of returning
students influenced by COVID-19 pandemic) CSCSE.edu.cn, 3 Apr. 2020, www.cscse.edu.cn/publish/portal0/tab38/info16162.htm.
Study Abroad Safety (平安留学) Wechat account “国务院新闻办公室就疫情期间中国海外留学人员安全问题举行发布会（The State Council Information Office holds press conference on safety of
Chinese students abroad during pandemic period）” https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1UPDIZYrAMh4RdkUp4Fvuw, 2 April 2020
[27] “Cancellation of CIEET 2020, China
International Education Exhibition Tour”, China International Education
Exhibition Tour, 20 Feb. 2020, www.cieet.com/cieet/379797/380257/403026/index.html.
[28] People’s
Republic of China, Ministry of Education, “关乎疫情当下高校毕业生就业问题，这场发布会有重要信息” (This
press conference contains important information on graduate employment in the
current pandemic outbreak) , 28 February 2020, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/imBdoIt2hLEzMzZdMS78Qg
[32] “关于认真做好2020届本科生 毕业论文（设计）答辩工作的通知”(Notice on
conducting thesis (design) defence for undergraduate graduates of 2020).
Undergraduate College of Wuhan University, 8 Apr. 2020, ugs.whu.edu.cn/info/1039/8967.htm.