The coronavirus has hit China hard and caught the attention of the whole world. A consequence of the spreading virus is that people in China have been instructed to stay inside. This has had a major impact on businesses, schools and the way of life for many, including students.
Impact on students
There are over 200 million elementary and high school students in China. Many schools have closed and children’s activities have been cancelled. Some schools have been closed since the Chinese New Year school break at the end of January. As the government works to potentially develop an online learning solution, our China-based partner, Be Better China is already using technology to reach students.
Be Better China is a pioneering organisation focused on financial education for children and youth. It is an educational service provider to schools, universities, and district education bureaus, and provides educational consulting on teacher training, school management, student performance, and curriculum development. It has been implementing Aflatoun programmes since 2009.
Using technology to reach students
We asked Be Better China Founder & CEO, Alan Wang, about how they are delivering social and financial education at a time when students can’t go to school.
“Previous to the coronavirus, Be Better China had adapted some Aflatoun curriculum to be used online and delivered in an interactive online classroom. We were reaching more than 100K students in rural schools in China. Because the coronavirus has forced students to stay at home, we are now using this model for students in cities as well.
Furthermore, Aflateen youth clubs have changed into mobile youth clubs, using WeChat groups and other mobile learning platforms where students are learning from professional mentors and peers about financial literacy, life-skills and entrepreneurship.”
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