The Corona virus has disrupted education in America and the world, leaving millions of parents - especially the poor classes - struggling to deal with childcare, while billionaires of tech pioneers have taken it upon themselves to fill this void.
While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged $ 6 million for education projects, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey provided $ 10 million to provide devices and connectivity to students in California; Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has launched an online school targeting the relatively wealthy, called "Astra Nova".
The Astra Nova School - which is due to open its virtual doors next September - will be a very exclusive school, until recently it was operating from the SpaceX space rocket company.
The school - which was called Ad Astra - was established in 2016, with the aim of teaching a small group of children of Elon Musk and some SpaceX employees for free, taking into account in its curricula the special interests of Musk.
The school curriculum did not include lessons in language, music, or sports. Rather, students worked on complex projects, such as building warfare robots, discussing nuclear policies, and planning how to defeat evil AI.
More than 400 families around the world have applied to enroll their children at the New Mask School, where the school accepts "kind, enthusiastic, and academically serious" children anywhere in the world from 8 to 14 years online, and will cost one day a week of online lessons for parents 7,500 Dollars.
Joshua Dahan, director of Astra Nova - to the Daily Best newspaper - said that Mask is not involved in managing the new project, but confirmed his primary role as "he helped Elon with the initial donation and some basic administrative assistance to start the Astra Nova," adding that "Elon has no financial interest in the school ".
Children as young as 8 years old can study bioethics or 3D printing in the morning, followed by missiles, law or virtual reality in the afternoon, and major topics include collaborative problem solving using in-depth games and simulations.
The admission process for the new school includes students participating in watching a short video clip showing industrial pollution and identifying who is to blame. According to the school’s website, there is no right or wrong answer, as the goal is to find out how children think about ethical dilemmas.
The school also plans to study full-time starting in September 2021. To get a seat, children must write articles about their passion, complete one of 5 challenges that include designing and filling a virtual art gallery, selecting the best astronauts for the first mission to Mars, or mastering a strategic game Tough designed by Astra Nova.
Julian Vasquez Heilig, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Kentucky said: "It is just another example of the ability of the wealthy to provide things to their children that communities with less means cannot reach." "The Auckland School District desperately needs this kind of investment for students of color, but instead of This provides access in the first place to those who can afford it. "
For her part, Nancy Herzog, a professor of educational psychology at Washington University, added that even if they can afford it, the school may be difficult for many children. Another business without their internet connection later..it looks almost like a college environment. "