China passes law to ease homework pressure on children | Times of Oman

China passes law to ease homework pressure on children | Times of Oman

China's official Xinhua news agency on Saturday reported that the country had passed an education law to ease homework pressures. The move comes as part of a growing assertiveness of the state in recent months when it comes to activities deemed harmful to the country's youth. What does the law entail?According to Xinhua, the law makes local governments responsible for tackling the "twin pressures" of homework and off-site tutoring in core subjects. Local officials are told to "strengthen their supervision in order to reduce the burden on students in terms of homework and extracurricular lessons," according to an extract of the law cited by Xinhua. There is a ban on after-school tutoring in the major core subjects during weekends and holidays. Beijing has also ordered private tutoring companies to go nonprofit. The legislation is also aimed at avoiding excessive internet use. It asks parents to pay attention to how children spend their time. "Parents ... must allocate in a reasonable way for minors the time devoted to studies, rest, entertainment and physical activity in order not to increase their learning load and to avoid any internet addiction," according to Xinhua. The law comes into force in January. China's school system: