Covid’s impact on classrooms: more fights, poor communication. Can we fix that? Yes, says Hong Kong NGO Just Feel

The coronavirus pandemic’s impact in classrooms lingers in Hong Kong, where the effects are felt particularly keenly in the early years of primary school

An NGO, Just Feel, is aiming to help with that by educating students, teachers and parents in how to communicate compassionately with one another

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The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on classrooms is being felt particularly keenly in the early primary years in Hong Kong. Just Feel co-founder Matthew Kwok (right) is instilling compassionate communication to fix that. Photo: courtesy of Just Feel

Published: 4:15pm, 13 Aug 2023

The lifting of the mask mandate and the return of children to school in Hong Kong have not been enough to alleviate the coronavirus pandemic’s impact in classrooms.

The effects are felt particularly keenly by pupils in the early years of primary school.

“Students lost two years of face-to-face interaction with their peers,” says Raymond Yang, co-founder of non-government organisation (NGO) Just Feel, which trains schools and families in compassionate communication.

“I won’t say we have to catch up the previous two years, because that’s not feasible, but we have to be more compassionate with students, as they may not be as able as students before to resolve conflict and communicate with their peers,” he says.

Just Feel trains schools and families in compassionate communication. Photo: courtesy of Just Feel

The challenges are more obvious in the early primary years because older students were able to at least communicate with their peers online.

During his time as a fresh graduate working in a Hong Kong school in 2017, Yang encountered many students struggling with their emotions.