Shanghai’s more than 1.4 million students had a busy school day on Monday, taking part in national flag raising ceremonies and regular classes not in classrooms, but in their homes. It was the first time local primary and secondary students had taken online classes at the same time. Schools are closed because of the novel coronavirus epidemic. Jenny Zhan said his eighth-grade son went back to his room around 8:10am and told her not to disturb him. Classes for sixth to ninth graders begin at 8:20am, with a national flag raising ceremony every day, according to a schedule arranged by the Shanghai Education Commission. Zhan said she had been worried about whether he would attend classes carefully or whether he would play games on his computer. But as she sat in the living room, she heard the voices of teachers on TV and her son’s voice from time to time. When she went to his room to give him some fruit during a break, he was doing exercises to music on the TV. “I had asked for leave from work to see if I needed to push him to study or solve any problems that he cannot solve,” she said. “But on the first day, there’s nothing I need to do, except cooking.” Zhan said she decided to go back to work on Tuesday and her mother-in-law would come to cook lunch for her son. Meng Hong, mother of a first grader, was busy following the classes to help her daughter. There were six classes for her daughter and she had to get her in front of the TV every time a class began and remind her to rest her eyes during each break. When after-class discussions began, she had to help her use an iPad to answer teachers’ questions and stop her from sending irrelevant information. “It was really tired for the first day,” she said. “Fortunately, I have sent my younger son to his grandma in advance to ensure he didn’t interrupt the classes." Other parents also had their hands full. “I’ve been busy the whole day,” one mother said on a WeChat group for parents of Meng’s daughter’s class. “Now I think my job is better than being a mother who needs to accompany her son for online classes.” “I’m working today but cannot focus on my job at all,” said another mother. “I have been checking my phone and felt anxious if my daughter did not answer the questions raised by the teacher.” The head teacher said their difficulties were natural at the beginning and things would get better day by day. According to the education commission, more than 1,000 teachers had produced classes for broadcast on TV and Internet platforms to make sure learning didn’t stop despite schools having to remain closed. About 1,000 classes have been recorded, with each take six to eight hours to record and edit. There will be 380 classes broadcast each week, 159 for primary school students, 123 for middle school students and 98 for those in high schools. The classes cover not only Chinese, math and English, but also sports, music and the arts. Eye exercises and gymnastic exercises are also arranged during class breaks to protect students’ sight and physical health. Classes last around 20 minutes. Schools have trained their teachers to organize discussions based on the classes or provide their own online classes afterward. Textbooks have been delivered to all students in paper and digital versions. District education bureaus and schools are making sure the online class resources are accessible to all students and are providing solutions for those with difficulties. In Hongkou District, 14 students from 10 schools didn’t have devices or the Internet to take the classes. Some of them were lent devices by schools while funds are being raised to help the others. At Xunyang Road Primary School, some teachers had visited parents to instruct them on downloading apps and using online platforms, according to Zhu Naimei, the school principal. “One of our students is living outside of Shanghai with her grandparents, who don’t have cellphones or computers,” said Zhu. “We talked with her parents several times and eventually found she had an aunt who could help.” Li Yongzhi, deputy director of the education commission, said there were about 16,000 students now living in Hubei Province, center of the epidemic. Shanghai’s communications authorities have cooperated their counterparts in Hubei to provide free networks for them to take classes. The three communication service providers – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – are also providing platforms for students’ online classes. Lu Jing, director of the commission, said the citywide online classes was a first for teachers, parents and students, and that the scheme will be improved gradually based on feedback from all related parties. “But it’s also an opportunity to test our ability in online education,” he said. “It’s a trend for education to be combined with the Internet. I think our teachers will have their skills of online education improved in this process.” He said online teaching would not fully replace campus education. He said schools would assess the effect of online classes when students return and adjust teaching plans accordingly.