China passes a law against heavy school and homework

The State media of China has reported that the country has passed an education regulation aimed at lowering the stress of heavy schoolwork and intensive after-school tutoring.

Parents are urged to ensure that their children get enough rest and exercise, and that they do not spend too much time online.

Written exams for children aged six and seven were abolished in China in August.

Officials cautioned that students' physical and mental health was being endangered at the time.

The government has also taken a number of steps in the last year to curb children's "addiction" to the internet and popular culture. The National People's Congress Standing Committee, the country's main legislative body, approved the latest proposal on Saturday. Although the law's exact wording has yet to be released, media reports imply that it encourages parents to cultivate their children's morals, intellectual growth, and social manners. Implementation will be the responsibility of the local government, which will include money for "enriching extracurricular activities."

On the social networking site Weibo, some users applauded the rule for encouraging excellent parenting, while others questioned if local governments or parents themselves would be up to the task.

"I work 996 [from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week], and when I go home at night, I still have to do family education?" one user wondered, according to the South China Morning Post.

“You can't exploit the employees and expect them to have children at the same time.”

Beijing took away the power of online tutoring companies operating in the country to make a profit from teaching core subjects in July. The new rules also limited foreign investment in the industry and disrupted the private tutoring sector, which was worth around $120 billion (£87 billion) prior to the changes.

At the time, the move was interpreted as the government attempting to alleviate the financial burdens of childrearing in the aftermath of China's record low birth rate.

Education inequality is also an issue, with more affluent parents willing to spend thousands of dollars to enrol their children in prestigious schools. (BBC)