Bid to revive 'burdensome' maths contest stopped

An annual mathematics contest that three companies organized this year after its former organizer ended its involvement has been shut down by the Shanghai Education Commission.    

In February, Four Seasons Education, which held the Shanghai sessions of Singapore’s Asia-Pacific Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools before, said it would stop organizing the contest this year after the city education authorities moved to ease “students’ burden.” 

Local parents found, however, that the contest would return this year with some other training institutions as its organizer.   

Last month, Four Seasons Education said on its website that it was not involved in that.

The commission said it had a meeting with the involved institutions and told them to close the contest. They agreed to comply and would not organize contests for students in the future. 

The parents who registered their children for the contest will be refunded.

The commission said awards from such contests should not be used as reference for children’s enrolment in China’s nine-year education system, which is compulsory. It said it would issue regulations for training institutions shortly.