According to Toutiao News , Nanning Guiya Elementary School in Guangxi Province, China, issued a rule at the end of March: "Students are not allowed to do homework after 9:30 PM. Those who have not completed their homework will not be reprimanded by the teacher. Let's protect the health of our children."
The above regulation aims to reduce the excessive academic burden on students and ensure they get enough rest after school.
Children in China face immense academic pressure. (Illustrative image: SCMP)
Parents with children attending Nanning Guiya School have expressed differing opinions regarding the school's new regulations.
A mother whose daughter attends the school said that the new regulations would not affect her child because she believes the daily homework is light and usually finishes before 8 pm.
However, another mother with an 8-year-old son argued that the intense competition and academic pressure upon entering secondary school would make the regulation difficult to enforce.
The father of another student expressed that while the regulation was well-intentioned, it would cause trouble for children and parents. "The latest my child finishes homework is almost midnight," he said, adding that his daughter has struggled with an overwhelming amount of homework in recent years.
His biggest concern was how students with poor academic performance would manage to catch up with their peers, and he also wondered how the school would implement its proposed support for parents to help their children complete homework before 9:30 PM.
After being circulated, this story attracted attention and sparked controversy on Chinese social media.
Some people say this is a great initiative, but some parents feel the school is trying to shift the academic pressure from students onto them.
Nanning Guiya Elementary School is not the first to implement this rule. In 2023, Ningbo city (Zhejiang province, China) also banned elementary school students from doing homework after 9 p.m.
China's highly competitive education system places immense pressure on parents, who feel compelled to push their children to study hard to secure their future. Many parents set excessively high expectations for their children, neglecting their academic strengths and weaknesses, leading to conflict.
In 2021, China passed a new law aimed at reducing the "double pressure" of homework and extracurricular tutoring in core subjects.
This new law places responsibility on local authorities and schools to ensure that pressure is reduced, while also requiring parents to schedule time for their children to combine rest and exercise appropriately.
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