Beijing, Feb 12 (IANS): Chinese students will be able to attend classes online or study via television as schools postpone the start of the new semester due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, education officials said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has issued a guideline for universities to organise online classes, with 22 online platforms offering 24,000 courses to students, said Wu Yan with the ministry at a press conference, reported Xinhua news agency.

These courses are of high-quality and were carefully selected over the past several years, Wu said, adding that more platforms will be launched in the future.

A "cloud platform" will also be launched on February 17 to provide students in elementary and secondary schools with education resources covering all major school subjects, said Lyu Yugang with the MOE.

Aside from school knowledge, students should also learn about epidemic prevention and control during the period and receive education on patriotism, life and psychological health, according to a separate guideline issued by the MOE and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Wednesday.

For students in remote or rural areas with low Internet accessibility, a Chinese education television channel will start airing classes on February 17 for them to study at home, according to Lyu.