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by Xinhua writer Yu Yue

BRUSSELS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- As Europe is trying to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, many countries on the continent have closed schools, forcing students to turn to online alternatives.

For Huang Boling, a mother of three in Belgium, having her children learn online while working from home presents a challenge.

There is only one extra computer besides the one designated for work. In addition to managing her own job, she has to monitor one child's online classes while keeping an eye on the other two offline.

"It's not easy to combine working from home with watching the kids," Huang said. "It is quite a new experience for us."

DISTANT LEARNING

Across Europe, parents, students and teachers are adapting themselves to the new normal of distant learning, often underprepared, as most schools have shuttered their doors.

Online teaching and instructing via video directly linking teachers with students is mostly conducted by private and international schools, whereas those in the public state education system appear to be at a disadvantage.

Many schools send assignments to parents via e-mail or other digital tools. To meet the increasing demand of home-schooling, some educational institutions have begun sharing free online resources.

However, not all students are self-disciplined, another problem with distant schooling.

In France, about 5-8 percent of students are "lost," or unreachable by their teachers, according to the French Ministry of Education.

The ministry is working with the National Postal Office, supporting teachers to send printed homework to those students who produce no feedback online or lack a computer or internet access.

The Polish Ministry of Digitization has cooperated with local organizations to provide teachers with free access to fast networks, while some educational organizations are donating laptops to disadvantaged students.

CAUTION AGAINST TOO MUCH LEARNING

Compared to traditional schooling, learning at home could defy the usual school hours, especially given that people are under strict stay-at-home orders. Warnings have been given against too much study.

The Ministry of Education and Training of the Flemish Region in northern Belgium has issued a guideline suggesting that students spend a maximum of four hours a day on their learning materials and tasks, and parental guidance be best limited to two hours per week.

"It might bring huge psychological pressure especially on teenagers since they are unable to enjoy outdoor sports and social activities. Mental health is also an important issue, and I hope teachers will take this into considerations when doing assessments," said Italian doctor Emanuele Caroppoh.

"Although online classrooms are fresh and fun, I do miss my friends and teachers, our school garden and real classrooms," said Angela Stabile, a 6-years-old pupil in Rome. "If there is a choice between them, I would choose real school."

ONLINE FOR THE SEMESTER

Several universities and colleges in Europe have prepared for an entire semester of digital learning via live video broadcasts or pre-recorded lessons that can be accessed at any time.

"The overall feedback is good and we haven't had too many technical difficulties. But there are some disadvantages such as less interaction and the teachers have to work harder to try to energize the course," said Zhang Lei, lecturer and senior researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

One downside is that many field studies and in-person experiments will have to be forfeited, said Zhang.

Because it remains unlikely that schools would reopen after the Easter holidays, Luxembourg has decided to extend online learning until May and Slovakia has declared that all schools would be closed for the whole semester.

"Learning at home saves me a lot of time and I can re-watch the recorded videos, which is easier for me to understand," said Pan Heidi, a Chinese student at the Polytechnic School of Louvain in Belgium.

"However, a lack of studying atmosphere is a drawback."

(Xinhua reporters Li Jie in Rome, Zhang Dailei in London, Xu Yongchun in Paris, Pan Geping, Wang Zichen in Brussels, Zuo Wei in Frankfurt, Feng Junwei, Paul Giblin in Madrid, Chen Xu in Warsaw, Jiang Xue in Bratislava also contributed to the story.)