Chinese authorities are trying to reduce academic pressure and improve students’ mental health, moving away from the country’s traditional attitude that requires children to study hard and get good grades.
China’s Ministry of Education announced this Friday a framework of measures to promote physical and mental health of students, which includes prohibiting schools from assigning excessive homework and invading students’ schedules.
Schools are prohibited from organizing exams frequently and from increasing the «students’ academic load», said the ministry in a statement on its official WeChat account, cited by the agency.
The announcement comes at a time when authorities are trying to reduce academic pressure and improve students’ mental health, moving away from the country’s traditional attitude that requires children to study hard and get good grades.
As heavy homework loads are common in schools across China, leading to lack of sleep and increased anxiety and depression, experts said.
China declared in November last year that schools must “strictly control the total amount of homework” and provide at least two hours of homework. physical activity for primary and secondary school students on each school day.
Os kindergartens are strictly prohibited from adopting basic education teaching methods or teaching the basic education curriculum in advance, the statement said.
As primary and secondary schools are prohibited from organizing any type of exam with the aim of selecting studentsand schools are prevented from rewarding or punishing teachers for “promoting” the best classified in exams for access to higher education.
Schools also cannot “in any way invade students’ breaks, nor prohibit students from leaving the classroom during breaks.”
The statement comes after China previously announced that they would be introduced spring and autumn holidays in schoolsadding to the traditional summer and winter breaks.
This package of measures comes at a time when Chinese authorities are also seeking, in a reversal of the One Child Policy that for decades led to one in the country, and to stimulate consumption internal to counter
