May 22 was the first day for the students of the third grade or in graduating classes of senior high schools in Beijing to resume classes. Correspondents from the Beijing Youth Daily went to some of the high schools and interviewed several resident students coming back from home on May 21, and made coverage about relevant preparation conducted by schools before the resumption of classes.

Beijing October 1 Middle School: divided teaching between day students and resident students

In the afternoon May 21, Gao Sixuan, a student from Class Two, Grade Three Beijing October 1 Middle School, entered the campus after having her body temperature taken at the school gate. She won’t go home until the university entrance examination ends.

Despite textbooks and clothing and other articles of daily use, Gao Sixuan took with her two boxes of health food. “This food could help enhance my immunity as well as reduce tiredness. One small bottle a day, and I have taken 20 bottles,” Gao said.

During the just-finished vacation, she reviewed the lessons herself at home every day. “Being afraid students will get up late, our teacher required us to make phone calls to each other before 7:30 every morning,” said Gao, adding that students in her class all have the ability to study independently, so they don’t worry about or feel pressures from the coming exam.

Principal of the school said that students are required to wear masks during the class and teachers are not required so as to guarantee the teaching effect. Each class will have only 20 students and distance between students and the teaching platform will remain over four meters.

In order to minimize the chance of cross-infection, day students and resident students are dividedly organized. Every morning is time for class lessons, and afternoon is for outdoor answering questions. Teaching activities for day students and resident students are arranged in two divided areas with isolation wires being set up between them.

Huiwen Middle School: return to school with four Gauze masks

Resident students in third grade of senior high school section of Huiwen Middle School registered between 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm May 21. Some 30 students have returned by 3:00 pm.

The school gate was closed and a sign pasted “place to measure temperature”. Two doctors of school medical office stood inside the gate and measured students’ temperature with gun-thermometers. Only after the second measure in the doorway of the dormitory, can the students enter their rooms. The school also regulated that students’ parents do not enter the dormitory, that students monitor body temperature twice a day in the morning and evening separately and that the group evening study is canceled. The students who break the regulations can no longer live in the dormitory.

Hu Lin and Jiang Qiang, both from Class 6, took out piles of books and study documents from their bags as soon as they arrived in the dormitory. Besides study and living articles, both of them brought a thermometer. Hu Lin brought four gauze masks from home and Jiang Qiang brought two. When in home, they studied through the Internet. Hu Lin said study in this way prevents exchange between students and teachers. She thought raising questions and getting answers through the school network was more effective, as the way has clear aims.

Students Whose Temperatures Above 37.2 Degrees Centigrade Forbidden to Return School

Recently Beijing Municipal Education Commission and Public Health Bureau jointly laid down rigorous measures to prevent disease in schools, stipulating that those people who have a temperature above 37.2 degrees centigrade are forbidden to enter the schools and the students are required to have their meals in appointed dining rooms in groups.

With more and more schools resuming their lessons and the coming of summer, the schools, while fighting against SARS, also bear the responsibility to prevent their students from food poisoning and infectious diseases in the summer and autumn. Beijing Municipal Education Commission urged schools to give top priority to students’ health and safety.

Teachers and students must take their temperatures before entering school, amongst which people who have a temperature above 37.2 degrees centigrade are forbidden to enter. Schools should get information for their teachers in time and register carefully, applying emergency isolation measures to students and their parents who have been infected.

Primary schools and secondary schools will continue to carry on the enriched lunch, but all are prohibited to give students extra meals, milk and soybean milk in the playtime. Schools who have boarders should keep improving their living conditions. Per capita living space shouldn’t be below two square meters. All underground dormitories are asked to be closed. The corridors and stairways should be clean without sputum; there should be no cobwebs on the walls, any mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches or rats in the dormitories. Washrooms should be regularly sanitized everyday.

In the near future, schools will keep canceling all concentrated lectures and big activities. Colleges and universities are required to apply the small class teaching method, with no more than 30 people in one class in general.

According to relevant departments of Beijing municipal government, all gymnasiums in schools should be closed down. Also, outdoor swimming pools shouldn’t be open to the public this year as required by leading group on SARS control in the Beijing education system.

(China.org.cn May 23, 2003)