Physics teacher Zhao Chuanliang gives an online tuition for students at a local high school in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, Feb. 2, 2020. As schools across the country are required to postpone the opening of the spring semester, online tuition has been promoted as an effective method. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

China’s Ministry of Education said it will carefully arrange work related to gaokao, or national college entrance examinations, normally scheduled for June, to determine whether they should be postponed this year. 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) will pay close attention to the development of the coronavirus epidemic situation, and promptly assess the conditions that might affect gaokao together with the relevant departments, officials said on Wednesday at a press conference. 

The relevant work arrangement will be announced to the public in a timely manner, MOE officials said. 

Over 10.31 million high-school students sat the gaokao in 2019, reports said. 

With 8.74 million college students set to graduate in 2020, an increase of 400,000 year-on-year, Wang Hui, an official from the ministry, said that the employment situation is expected to become more “complicated and severe” in the first half of this year.

The MOE will establish a large online job market to solve this problem, and will verify recruitment information of online employers and promote online interviews to sign contracts and handle related procedures accordingly, Wang said. 

Officials said local governments should arrange the postponement of school open days based on the local epidemic situation. 

Shanghai has issued a notice saying that schools will not open until the end of February. 

Global Times