SINCE the start of this year the COVID-19 epidemic has swept across China,disrupting the normal order of life and work.In early February,China’s Ministry of Education made the decision of suspending in-person classes on the mainland,and the Education Bureau of Hong Kong Special Administration Region followed suit.In the following weeks and months at least 22 countries the world over closed schools,ranging from primary to higher education and including both public and private institutions.More than 1.5 billion students have been affected.