Covid-19: Hong Kong’s needy pupils sidelined by online learning one year since class suspension

Siblings “May” and “Ben” are among many underprivileged pupils in Hong Kong who have suffered as a result of the suspension of face-to-face lessons during the Covid-19 pandemic. Restrictions to control the spread of the coronavirus forced city authorities to halt in-person learning for more than 6 months starting in early February 2020. Many schools have been forced to turn to remote learning, but such arrangements are not easy for nine-year-old May and eight-year-old Ben, according to their mother Jing who used pseudonyms for the children so she could speak freely. The Primary Four and Primary Three students share a learning space in the 150 sq ft (14 sq m) subdivided flat and rely on second-hand iPads with poor internet connections using mobile data to attend online classes. Their strongest wish is to be able to join classes at school again. 

(Photo: K. Y. Cheng)