Primary school bans homework after 9.30pm

Policy would also see no punishment for pupils who do not finish assignments

A primary school has banned homework after 9.30pm and decided not to punish students who do not finish assignments, sparking fierce debate on social media.

The Nanning Guiya Primary School in Guangxi province had taken steps to ease pressure on students by ensuring they did not study when they should be resting, Toutiao News reported.

On March 27, the school announced on its WeChat account it wanted to lighten the overwhelming academic load children were carrying.

The move follows the 2021 passing of a law which aimed to reduce the “twin pressures” of homework and off-site tutoring in core subjects.

It places responsibility on local governments and schools to ensure pressures are eased, and asks parents to arrange their children’s time to incorporate reasonable rest and exercise.

“No homework for students after 9.30pm every night, and those who have not completed theirs will not be criticised by teachers. Let’s protect the health of our children,” the school said in a WeChat announcement which quickly circulated online and kicked off a debate.

One mother, whose daughter attends the school, said the move would not affect her child because her workload was light and she usually finished by 8pm.

Another mother, who has an eight-year-old son, thought the fierce competition and academic stress when entering secondary school would make the initiative difficult to carry out.

The father of another student said the initiative, though well intentioned, would cause trouble for children and parents. He said his daughter had struggled with homework overload in recent years. “The latest she has completed her homework is 11.45pm,” he said.

He said what concerned him the most was how poorly students would perform while trying to catch up with their studies.

He also wondered how the school proposed to provide support for parents to help children finish their homework before 9.30pm.

The story has divided opinion on mainland social media.

“It’s a great initiative,” one person said. “It sounds like the school is transferring the pressure to parents,” another said.

The school is not the first to launch the initiative.