A woman makes a phone call outside the Australian International School in Hong Kong on June 17, 2009. Several secondary schools have been shut down and disinfected after pupils tested positive for the virus, which has now infected more than 170 people in the territory. -- PHOTO: AFP
HONG KONG - THE closure of dozens of Hong Kong schools to try to halt the spread of swine flu has kept thousands of children at home, but new technology has meant they can no longer escape their teachers.
The government announced the closure of all primary, kindergarten, nursery and special schools last week, after the city discovered its first local case of the A(H1N1) virus.
TAKING NO CHANCES
In 2003, nearly 300 people died in Hong Kong from SARS which spread globally, killing a further 500 people. The city became a virtual ghost town.
Southern China remains a hotspot for seasonal flus and avian flu, which has killed more than 250 people in the last few years.
In addition, several secondary schools have been shut down and disinfected after pupils tested positive for the virus, which has now infected more than 170 people in the territory.
In response to the tough measures - which have drawn some complaints from parents - many schools in the southern Chinese city have implemented online instruction programmes so students can keep up with the curriculum from home.
Cameron Reed, a primary school teacher at the Australian International School, said his four-year-old pupils were going online to solve puzzles sent out earlier that morning.
'It is surprising how technologically savvy children are getting from a young age,' said Mr Reed. 'Students see the integration of IT (information technology) as a logical progression in their school life.'
Schools have created online systems that enable teachers to distribute course material and homework assignments via the Internet. The pupils can then ask questions through email or chat programmes and pass the work back once they've completed it.
Instructors at a kindergarten in Causeway Bay record themselves reading story books and singing songs as if their students were in the classroom and send the videos out the next day.
Parents of students at Parkview International Pre-Schools can now access the school's website to download weekly assignments and step-by-step activities for subjects such as language, maths, arts and crafts, science and cooking.
Pupils there are even offered physical education classes through printable handouts illustrating step-by-step guides to playing select games, although the government has discouraged children meeting up outside school. -- AFP
