From today (1 March), pupils in all 21 provinces of Mongolia are set to return to the classroom, after authorities approved the return to on-site teaching in a balancing act between coronavirus concerns and children’s education. However, students in the Mongolian capital city of Ulaanbaatar will begin classes from 10 March.

According to the education minister, parents can choose whether to send their children back to school or to continue with online classes. Regarding higher education: colleges, universities and institutions will not open in the provinces at present.

Each child in Mongolia must attend school for 165-180 days. However, due to the pandemic, pupils have received only classes for 80 days; this has resulted in 70-80 percent of students falling seriously behind. Furthermore, 174 thousand students failed to learn in online classes due to there being no internet, smartphones or televisions.