Schools Won't Have Enough Face Masks: Teachers

More than 80 percent of teachers say their schools won’t have enough face masks to give students when schools resume, according to a survey.

Schools have remained shut since the coronavirus outbreak started and officials say it is unlikely they will all reopen by late next month as originally hoped.

The Federation of Education Workers polled 600 teachers this month, with many saying their schools’ orders of hygiene products are being delayed or cancelled due to a huge global demand.

The union’s vice-chairman, Tang Fei, said they have procured a million adult masks for school orders, but this is still not enough, and the government must do more to help them than just providing subsidies.

Tang said half of respondents think classes should resume gradually while over 30 percent said schools should be further delayed.

The teacher union’s survey also found that online learning is not effective enough.

Around 60 percent of those interviewed said less than half of their students could learn effectively through online platforms, and they could not keep track of the pupils’ progress.

The group’s vice-chairman Muk Ka-chun said it’s hard to ensure students are paying attention during e-lessons, and the interaction among classes isn’t enough.