China seeks to ease homework pressures on schoolchildren

China has passed an education law aimed at reducing the pressure of overwork and intensive after-schooling, state media say.

Parents are asked to ensure that their children have reasonable time to rest and exercise and don’t spend too much time online.

in August China has banned written exams for six- and seven-year-olds.

Officials warned at the time that the students’ physical and mental health had been damaged.

Over the past year, the state has also introduced a series of measures aimed at moderating children’s “addiction” to the Internet and popular culture.

The latest measure was approved on Saturday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s permanent legislative body.

Full details of the law have not yet been published, but media reports suggest it encourages parents to cultivate their children’s morals, intellectual development and social habits.

The local government will be responsible for implementation, for example by providing funding to “enrich extra-curricular activities”.

The law received a mixed reaction on the social media site Weibo, with some users praising the drive for good parenting while others questioned whether local authorities or the parents themselves would be up to the task.

“I work 996 [from 9am to 9pm, six days a week], and when I come home in the evening do I still need to do family education? “asked one user, quoted by the South China Morning Post newspaper.

“You can’t exploit workers and ask them to have children anyway.”

In July, Beijing deprived online tutoring companies operating in the country of the ability to profit from teaching core subjects.

The new guidelines also limited foreign investment in the sector and shut down the private teaching sector which was worth around $ 120 billion (£ 87 billion) prior to the overhaul.

At the time, the move was seen as an attempt by the authorities to alleviate financial pressures related to child rearing after China experienced a record birth rate.

Inequality in education is also a problem: affluent parents are willing to spend thousands of dollars to get their children into the best schools.