Guiyang internet TV company gives online classes to students

Xu Zhong, a middle school teacher in Guiyang, records an online physics course for students to study at home, as a measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus. [Photo by Yang Wenbin/Xinhua]

With schools in China remaining closed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, a smart TV company based in Guiyang city, has stepped in to provide online classes for students in Southwest China's Guizhou province, local officials said.

The online learning platform, which was created by the Guiyang Branch of Guizhou Broadcasting & TV Network Co, on Feb 3 started to broadcast courses on television to help primary and secondary students in the province keep learning.

The company is responsible for recording classes given by teachers recommend by the Guiyang municipal bureau of education. After production and editing, the courses are broadcasted on television. Students are able to watch the courses if they have installed special TV boxes.

Officials said that data showed the platform got more than 5 million hits in half a month, becoming an effective measure to help students learn at home while containing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Rural families in Guizhou who do not have the TV boxes can download the mobile app of the company, called Dongjing App, to choose online courses for free.

Local officials said the company will join the Guiyang municipal bureau of education to donate televisions and boxes valued at more than 1.5 million yuan ($214,059) to 898 impoverished families.

Zhao Yandi contributed to this story