RESHAPING EDUCATION
As the new semester started on September 1, Liu Jing, mother of a primary school pupil in Beijing, heaved a sigh of relief since her kid can now arrive at school at 8:20 a.m. on a weekday, about half an hour later than before.
“Although it’s only half an hour later, it allows us to have breakfast and get ready for school in a more leisurely manner,” Liu told Beijing Review.
The change comes courtesy of a new guideline issued by the central authorities in late July to further reduce the excessive burden from homework and after-school tutoring for primary and middle school students within three years, also known as the “double reduction” policy.
In spite of previous government efforts to reduce academic pressure on students, the burden remains heavy. On the one hand, students still have to do a lot of homework; on the other hand,
