Schools reopened to students on a trial basis ahead of the fall semester on Aug. 16. The semester will start on Sept. 1 in Taipei, but students will be allowed to attend classes virtually if parents have concerns.
Students seem excited to return to school for the first time after three months.
Student 1:” It's hard to focus at home, so it's better for me to attend class in person.”
Student 2:”You don't know what other people are doing when you're looking at a screen. If you're all in the classroom together, you can see people are working hard and (it makes you work hard too).”
Chuang Feng-chao, Director of Academic Affairs, RenAi Junior High School:” You get a better idea of how students are doing and if they're taking in what you're teaching when they're in the classroom with you. It's harder to get a grasp on that online.”
Schools will have students attending class in shifts, their temperatures taken at the door and wearing facial coverings. Summer classes for the ninth-graders started on a trial basis on Aug. 16, with many schools continuing virtual classes due to parental concerns.
Tseng Wen-lung, Principal, RenAi Junior High School:” Eighty percent of (our parents) indicated they wanted physical classes to resume before the start of the semester, so we started preparing for that on Aug. 16.”
Tsai Ping-kun, Taipei City Deputy Mayor:” In the absence of further epidemic-related restrictions, schools will reopen on Sept. 1 as scheduled.”
The fall semester for elementary and secondary schools will open on Sept. 1 in Taipei. But "epidemic leaves" are allowed for parents unwilling to send their kids to school for health concerns.
Taipei officials have prepared three remote learning formats that will be activated depending on the percentage of students learning remotely, which is expected to be 10 to 15 percent according to the initial estimation.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih, meanwhile, is calling on the Tsai administration to procure more vaccines.
Hou Yu-ih, New Taipei City Mayor:” The fall semester starts in September, and BNT vaccines will be reserved for 12- to 18-year-olds when they become available. Until then, economic recovery will be a challenge.”
It remains unknown if the fall semester will open on schedule in New Taipei City. Taipei is banning field trips and graduation trips for the time being.
下課鐘聲響起，迫不及待跟同學走出教室，停課將近3個月，終於可以回到學校上課。
學生1：「在家裡會很常不專心，就會影響學習的效率。所以我覺得來學校上課比較好。」
學生2：「看螢幕的話你會不知道對方在幹嘛，但是在教室的話，就看大家都很認真所以就(自己也會認真)。」
仁愛國中教務主任莊豐兆：「我實體課程可以知道學生的學習狀況跟學習反應，那我教的這個東西，他到底有沒有吸收，但線上就會慢半拍。」
實體暑期輔導課第一天，老師和學生都開心，一進到學校必須先量體溫，分流上課，並全程配戴口罩，16日開始，國高中針對「二升三」開放實體暑期輔導課，為9月正式開學做準備，但也有部分學校因為家長反對，維持線上課程。
仁愛國中校長 曾文龍：「（我們學校）八成的家長希望說，線上課程完了之後，是不是有實體課程可以讓他們做為開學前的準備。於是我們也因應這樣，所以8月16日就我們實體課程上的一個準備的開始。」
台北市副市長 蔡炳坤：「如果疫情沒有再次的相關的改變的話，那我們9月1日一定會如期的開學，採實體開學為主。」
台北市拍板，9月1號高中以下如期開學，以實體教學為主，如果家長不放心，可以請防疫假，北市估計每班有10%-15%會請防疫假，也為請防疫假的學生，規劃三種線上教學方式，一個年級請假人數多，自成一班線上教學，少的話，在家同步收看，如果是採線上及實體混合教學，將採小規模試辦。
而新北市16日也開放實體暑期輔導，面對開學在即，新北市長侯友宜也呼籲中央，盡速補足疫苗。
新北市長 侯友宜：「9月分要開學，我們的輝瑞疫苗BNT疫苗，要打12到18歲的這些孩子們，在這樣一個高風險的疫苗接種的空窗期的延宕，讓我們在振興經濟的經濟復甦上，受到更嚴峻的挑戰。」
九月是否如期開學，新北市還沒訂案，台北市已經敲定9月1日如期開學，18日將開校長會議定調開學指引，目前校外教學和畢業旅行暫不開放。
