Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Ms. Henrietta Fore has written to the Minister of Education Chen Baosheng, applauding the MOE for its efforts to move all classes online while combating COVID-19, and expressing her wish for further cooperation with the MOE under the framework of the UNICEF country cooperation program for the period 2021-2025. The letter sent to the minister included a suggestion that UNICEF and the MOE should work together to organize on-campus safety education and epidemic prevention awareness raising after schools in China officially reopened, and that China’s successful experience in using online education should be disseminated to the rest of the world.

On the afternoon of April 8, the key leaders of the MOE Leading Group for COVID-19 Prevention and Control held a video conference with Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF representative to China, on preparing students before schools reopened.

McCaffrey applauded the MOE’s success in having maintained momentum in education while protecting students from the coronavirus throughout the period of prevention and control, which she said set an example for educational authorities in the rest of the world in their attempts to secure victory over COVID-19. She pledged that UNICEF China was ready to work with the MOE on helping students return to school safely, by developing posters and videos on epidemic prevention in primary and secondary schools.

Minister Chen thanked UNICEF for its positive comments on China’s efforts to fight COVID-19, UNICEF’s long-standing support for education in China and its attention to the wellbeing of children in the country. Noting that the MOE was currently developing a health education programme covering all levels and types of schools, he expressed the hope that UNICEF would provide support in the areas of sports guidance, nutritional health, food safety and on-campus hygiene.