While schools in England are closing again due to the corona crisis, the BBC is taking a remedy: every day, educational offers are to be shown on television for several hours, thus complementing digital learning. The British Broadcasting Corporation announced that it will offer the largest educational offering in its history. The reason for this is that restrictions have been imposed in England and Scotland in the course of the increasing numbers of infections, which means that most children are no longer allowed to go to school.
Now, starting next week, the BBC’s children’s channel CBBC will have a three-hour block of programming for elementary school students, and BBC Two will focus on content for secondary school girls.
School closings had raised concerns in England and Scotland about how parents can help their children study at home while they work. There is also a gap between poorer and richer families in terms of access to resources such as the Internet.
“Education is absolutely important,” said BBC Director General Tim Davie. “The BBC is here to do its part, and I’m delighted that we were able to make this available to the public so quickly.” British mobile network and broadband operators are also supporting the offer. They are removing data restrictions to help disadvantaged children in England watch classes online after school.