A Reflection on the Chinese Education System’s Responses, Problems, and Experiences during the Pandemic

Abstract The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a profound impact on the operations of education systems. China’s education system accumulated a wealth of experience from its responses to the pandemic, but it has also exposed many problems. In terms of the responses in education, timely and systematic policy actions have provided specific guidance for the smooth operation of education systems at all levels; the coordination and participation of multiple actors across different levels of government, government departments, and social organizations have effectively ensured the provision of online teaching. At the same time, however, a number of problems have appeared, including: insufficient range and systematization of courses taught online; teachers’ weak understanding of online learning and an inadequate ability to implement it; and a lack of continuity and initiative in students’ classroom participation. Moreover, online teaching has highlighted the “information gap” between urban and rural areas. Therefore, online teaching should be improved both internally and externally, focusing not only on the application of technology but also on the transformation of ideas about teaching itself; it should gradually make full use of the rich and varied structure and content of online teaching resources; it should focus on improving the “hard power” and “soft power” of rural students’ online learning in order to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas.