China's education ministry stresses mental health amid epidemic

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- In the face of a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, China's Ministry of Education has launched a variety of arrangements to maintain the provision of education at various levels while ensuring effective epidemic containment, placing increased emphasis on mental health.

At a recent video conference on epidemic control and prevention, the ministry stressed the importance of paying more attention to the mental health of teachers and students and providing them with timely psychological assistance.

The ministry called for the monitoring of the health of school staff, students and their family members, improving response mechanisms against the epidemic, and enhancing the coordination between school and home.

The ministry also said that the online platform, developed and rolled out by the ministry following the outbreak of the epidemic, that allows students in primary and middle schools to study at home, has recorded 6.9 billion views and has recently been enriched with new resources, including after-class service and family education.

As the country enters the second phase of graduate-school enrollment, the ministry has asked universities to take into consideration the local COVID-19 situations, and to put the health of staff and students first when making plans for examinations and interviews.