The spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, is causing everyone anxiety. But one group particularly affected are school students, especially those sitting exams this year. With hundreds of people gathering in them every day, schools are hotbeds for disease transmission. Across China and other parts of Asia, some schools have already been closed for weeks, with sporadic school closures taking place in other affected countries too. 

For many students, this serves to compound their existing stress over their exams. Days or even weeks of school closures mean less time to learn and revise the curriculum, and it’s not yet clear whether exams will be cancelled or postponed in response. Students who have been exposed to coronavirus may also need to miss school in order to self-quarantine, which can result in falling behind their peers, especially if the school and exam board have not made allowances. 

Thankfully, online tuition can help students keep up with their studies even if they are quarantined or their school is closed. Students can make use of online tuition to learn the curriculum that they are missing out on, or for revision ahead of exams, should they be going ahead. What’s more, online tuition can be individually tailored to the student, so that they can focus on areas of weakness rather than covering ground on which they feel confident. The result could be that a period of quarantine leaves the student better prepared for their exams, having had time to focus on their own specific study needs, than they might have been otherwise!

If you’re a parent of a child who is worried about coronavirus affecting their studies, it may be worth having a conversation with them about online tuition now, rather than only when it becomes necessary. The modern generation of school students, with 24-hour access to the news, are understandably more prone to stress and anxiety than previous generations were, even in normal times – and the fear of a global pandemic is only exacerbating their already-high stress levels. 

Letting your child know that they will be able to continue their studies uninterrupted from home can help to relieve one source of anxiety that they may be feeling around the coronavirus outbreak. What’s more, you and they can use that conversation to plan ahead, for instance considering which books and materials they might need to have at home in order to minimise disruption to their study schedule.