Opinion | Coronavirus pandemic has upended schooling in Hong Kong – with parents bearing the brunt
- The digital divide is evident in how schools deliver e-learning, with parents anxious that their children are losing out and struggling to support them while juggling work
Schools vary in how they deliver e-learning. Although all schools try hard to reach out to students, only a few private international schools have started synchronous online classes.
Equipped with the most advanced e-learning tools, teachers in these schools broadcast content to students in real-time, enabling students to respond immediately, edit documents and share their screens. These schools maintain regular school day schedules, with even a dedicated time for physical exercise.
Other schools use virtual learning, video podcasting, online discussion forums, chat rooms and screencasts.
Less technologically advanced schools have begun sending study materials and worksheets to parents once a week or two by email, phone and even post.
The main reason for this difference is the disparity in resources: students at most international schools usually own laptops and use them in class. Teachers, too, are adept at creating online study material and developing e-assignments, although, even for them, transitioning to a full-time online mode was quite challenging.