Chinese schools told to cut homework as parents pick up the slack
Authorities in Jiangsu province issue 30 guidelines designed to ease pressure on children
An education authority in eastern China has urged schools to reduce the amount of homework given to pupils amid complaints from parents that the burden was so heavy that they were having to do their children’s assignments for them.
The Jiangsu provincial department of education on Monday issued 30 guidelines designed to reduce the pressure on young people from homework, testing and schoolwork, The Beijing News reported on Thursday.
Schools were told to strictly control the amount of homework set each day, ensure it was based on the children’s classwork and to set reasonable deadlines.
“Homework should not be above the level of the curriculum or students’ abilities,” it said, adding that it also “should not become parental homework”.
Parents across the country have complained on social media of the pressure their children are under with homework, with many saying that they end up having to do the work themselves.