Lawmakers demand cap on homework set for Hong Kong primary school pupils
Proposal would see a maximum number of hours for homework imposed and a restriction on the amount of homework set on Fridays
Lawmakers in Hong Kong on Friday demanded a cap on the amount of homework set for primary school students, as children in the city are becoming increasingly stressed and overworked.
Eleven legislators on the Panel on Education called on the Education Bureau to consider imposing maximum hours of homework for primary school pupils, restricting homework assigned on Fridays to the same amount as other days, and making at least one school break homework-free.
The lawmakers also questioned the deputy education minister Christine Choi Yuk-lin over the lack of information on the average homework load among primary schools in Hong Kong.
“Many pupils have to work three hours to finish their homework after school,” said Ann Chiang Lai-wan, chairwoman of the panel. “It’s so inhumane.”
Children in Hong Kong are raised to excel, not to be happy, and experts say that is worrying
Hong Kong started adopting whole-day primary schooling in 1993, and almost all public primary schools had switched to whole-day from half-day by 2015. Although the change was widely supported by families with two working parents, increasing amounts of homework have put a strain on many households.
