‘This Will Push Many People Over the Edge,’ Parents Warn as Hong Kong Closes Schools Until April Over Coronavirus Fears

(Bloomberg) — The emails are piling up, office queries need attention, and Jackie Yang’s kids won’t leave her alone. “‘Mom, I don’t know how to log on to the computer;’ ‘Mom, help me print out my paper.’ Imagine hearing ‘Mom!’ every minute. I’m just up to my neck,” said Yang, who works for a Chinese bank in risk control. For Yang and thousands of other parents in Hong Kong, the past few months have been nothing but frustration. The city’s school-aged children are expected to miss about 13 weeks of classes due to government-mandated shutdowns, first because of anti-government protests, now for the coronavirus outbreak. On top of that are the fees; tuition in one of the world’s most expensive cities can cost upwards of $20,000 a year. Read more: The Coronavirus Outbreak Could Derail Xi Jinping’s Dreams of a Chinese Century “My eldest was just screaming at home,” said insurance rep Jade Yang (no relation to Jackie) when she heard Tuesday that Hong Kong had extended the school closings until at least April 20. “A few more weeks of this and she’s going to go crazy.” Parents of students at prestigious international schools, many of whom make up the upper echelons of finance, law and global business, are particularly irate. On top of tuition, they pay fees for lunch, the bus, and other activities. They say their kids aren’t getting the education they&r...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 health Hong Kong Source Type: news