Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2142480/why-hong-kong-students-will-not-gain-cap-study-hours
Comment/ Letters

Why Hong Kong students will not gain from a cap on study hours

Students do their homework on the streets of Admiralty in October 2014, during the Occupy movement. Photo: AP

Hong Kong students are always under pressure to achieve good school results, and so spend a lot of time studying. Some stay up late into the night to revise and do homework. This badly affects students’ health, both physical and mental. Therefore, there have been calls for a cap on study hours, to reduce the stress on students. However, such a limit might not really help.

First, standard study hours might leave most students with too little time to prepare for exams, which would add to their stress.

Second, if they end up with more free time, they may have to deal with pressure from other activities. With less time being spent on studies, parents may ask their children to attend more tutorial classes, or some hobby activities. In these classes, they will spend more time on schoolwork, or practise their hobby. That will not reduce their workload.

Therefore, I believe reduced study time may have a negative impact on students. Less time for revision will simply backfire, brining extra worry over preparation for exams. Capping study hours is not the answer to student stress.

Jason Luk, Tseung Kwan O