A student writes on a notebook. /CFP In its mission to eradicate extreme poverty, China identified education as a key strategy. The thinking was that improving the standard of schooling, particularly in rural areas, would ensure that future generations would not fall into the same poverty traps as their parents. However, even after the end of absolute poverty was declared, there remains a disparity between urban and rural education. One way of bridging the gap, many people believe, is with online learning. But is remote teaching really the answer? Can it make a real difference in preparing students for exams...