BEIJING - About 58.3 percent of Chinese parents of middle and primary school students are positive about the effects of online courses offered by their schools this semester due to the COVID-19 epidemic, a survey has found.

However, 73.9 percent of the parents said online courses have added an extra burden on them because they have to spend more time supervising and assisting their children, according to the survey by the China Youth Daily.

Parents said they need to keep a close watch on their children to ensure they stay focused during classes. Parents also had to help them with homework and sometimes provide after-class tutoring.

About 70.5 percent of the 2,470 respondents complained that their children got distracted during online courses recorded in advance, with 92.8 percent attributing this to a lack of interaction they would have had in a classroom, the survey showed.

The parents suggested that teachers should attempt to better understand their students' academic performances before and after a classroom scenario and try to make recorded lessons more interesting such as adjusting tones and facial expressions.

Around 76 percent of the respondents are parents of primary school pupils and nearly 75 percent live in first- and second-tier cities.

Most Chinese schools have gradually reopened, with Beijing having seen its non-graduating middle school students and sixth-grade pupils return to schools on June 1. Fourth- and fifth-graders in the capital city are expected to be back in class on June 8.