Students in their final year at junior high and senior high schools in South China's Guangdong, the most populous province in China, are scheduled to return to school on April 27, as in-school education for the spring semester has been suspended due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Primary school and other high school students will go back to school gradually after May 11, subject to the epidemic situation in various localities, the provincial Education Department announced on Thursday.

The time for the resumption of kindergartens and special education schools will be determined later.

Students in their final year at colleges and universities will return to school after May 11, when their schools are fully prepared for epidemic control.

Other college students and vocational school students will follow suit gradually after May 18.