“By keeping a positive and optimistic attitude … we can prosper even amid adversities,” he said. “Any pandemic will eventually come to end, by then, we may all return to campus and make a strong comeback.”

Hong Kong schools to resume face-to-face classes from September 23

Schools are further adjusting to virtual teaching. Lessons will be conducted online for at least the first three weeks of the new academic year, before returning to in-class learning.

Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School in Kwai Chung bought a variety of new equipment and technological gadgets over the summer break for pupils and teachers.

About 50 tablets equipped with smart pens were ready to be lent to pupils in need, while new web cameras and better lighting had been set up in classrooms for teachers to conduct online classes, assistant principal Ricky Chan Chi-wai said.

“As the staff room is cramped, we have arranged for teachers to go to their own classrooms to conduct the online lessons, with equipment such as [web cameras] installed … in the hope that the quality could be improved,” Chan said.

Students would join in the opening ceremony, meet their teachers and get to know their peers online during the first few days of school, he said, adding such activities were especially important experiences for about 50 Form One pupils starting their new school year.

Seven classes would run online from 8am to 12.50pm each day from September 4 onwards, following the school’s timetable.

“Experts have said there could be a possible resurgence of infected cases in fall or winter, when face-to-face classes could be suspended again,” Chan said. “We treat this as the new normal and will help [students and teachers] to adapt,” he said.

Hong Kong schools told when to play national anthem, call police over violations

CMA Secondary School in Shek Kip Mei allowed a few pupils to return to campus for online sessions with social-distancing measures in place on Tuesday morning, as they had either previously arranged to meet with a teacher or needed to study on campus due to unsuitable home environments.

At Fukien Secondary School Affiliated School, its primary pupils spoke to their class teachers, most of whom are working from home, and watched a pre-recorded ceremony marking the new academic year during a live-streamed online session at 8am.

02:07

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Global coronavirus cases surpass 25 million as India deals with world’s fastest-growing outbreak

For six-year-old Sherlock Au Yeung, who starts his first year in Primary One, kicking off the new school year online was “exciting and happy”.

He said: “I’m not disappointed, because we still get to see our classmates [online].”

His father Kenneth Au Yeung said although his two children had adapted to online learning over the last six months, face-to-face lessons were still preferred because they allowed for easier communication with teachers.

Guidelines issued by the Education Bureau last week suggested schools restrict online lessons to less than 25 minutes each, to better hold pupils’ attention.

Live-streamed online classes should also be avoided for younger children, including those in the lower levels of primary school, because parents might not be available at specific times to support their home learning.

Eva Charisa Hsu, principal at the Fukien school, said it would begin “mixed mode” learning from September 4, with pre-recorded videos and live-streamed lessons taking place on different days, each session lasting no more than 20 minutes.

Hsu said: “Teachers are aware that pupils’ attention span is about 15 minutes. Therefore we try to keep our pre-recorded and live-streamed classes with breaks in between to ensure they are within the range.”