E-learning and Nintendo: Dealing with virus school shutdowns
When Mayumi Iijima heard that institutions around Japan would close above the new coronavirus outbreak, leaving her to juggle her job and two small kids, her first reaction was horror.
"I simply said 'no, no, no, no... what are we likely to do?'" the 40-year-old, who gets results in recruiting in Tokyo, told AFP.
Like father and mother from Italy to Iran, Iijima is desperate for methods to entertain and educate her children during school closures that the UN says have disrupted education for more than 290 million students world-wide.
Primary Minister Shinzo Abe shocked the country and dismayed father and mother countrywide with his demand universities to close through the planting season holiday break, which ends around early April.
Nurseries and after-institution clubs can stay open, but Iijima's nine-year-old son Torao and eight-year-old girl Koto are actually both affected.
Iijima's husband has little flexibility at the job, but her enterprise Jinjibu possesses allowed her to bring the children in, putting away a conference bedroom and encouraging other personnel to help out.
"What we as a good business could do had not been to isolate working mothers," stated spokeswoman Junko Sato. "If they job, they can focus on working, and the others of our staff will care for the children."
Iijima is grateful, but says the situation is still definately not ideal.
"We brought study resources for children. They also like crafts," she explained.
But she adds: "I am hoping college will resume. I'm concerned about their studies."
In Hong Kong, schools have already been shut since early February, with the closure nowadays set to last until after Easter.
Many teachers are embracing conference call applications to connect to students, but that requires good WiFi access and computer literacy.
Primary school teacher Billy Yeung works at a school where various students result from low-income families and parents tend to be unsure how exactly to download documents.
"Some parents told me they don't really have WiFi in the home," he explained. "One explained that they have used up their mobile data by downloading teaching materials."
Elsa Wong, a single mother, is trying to home university her 11-year-old child Rick, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
She has enjoyed seeing his progress up close and says her boy has generally been more relaxed in the home.
But going it by itself has been challenging, said Wong, whose employer has required personnel to home based.
"Sometimes I have been as a result physically exhausted or mentally drained, I must say i couldn't motive with him."
For a few children in the city's highly competitive program, the closures come as a comfort.
"I feel like it is better to concentrate and it's less stressful," said 14-year-old Leo, who normally has 9 lessons a day, however now offers only two 45-minute sessions via a video-chat app.
In South Korea, colleges are closed at least through March 23, and archivist Han Ji-hee is counting on her husband, mother and niece to view her two sons.
"I must say i hate it," explained Han, who lives in Suwon, south of Seoul. "The kids are actually bored -- they can't go outside to the playground or go out with their good friends, so they possess nothing to accomplish."
"They just wrap up watching Tv set and playing with their mobile phones all day, but it's not like I can be there."
The closures aren't universal, and in Singapore the government has up to now declined to shutter schools, arguing it could "disrupt many lives."
"Even if all students stay at home, there is no guarantee against infections," the training ministry said.
In Tokyo, famous areas like Harajuku and Shibuya are filled with teenagers, with younger children flocking to playgrounds.
"My mother sits up coming to me all morning so I haven't any choice but to accomplish homework," one nine-year-good old boy told AFP simply because he played about a seesaw at a recreation area.
"But the a fortunate note is that I can play Nintendo Move for a long time," he explained, adding that his family's usual 45-minute rule had been scrapped. "Now I can play given that I like!"
Source: japantoday.com
