Ease the homework pressure and let kids be kids?

A new rule being mulled in China to allow schoolchildren to go to bed by 10pm, even if they haven’t finished their homework, has prompted heated debate about the country’s education system.

East China’s Zhejiang Province has published a draft guideline proposing students go to bed at a decent hour — with parents’ approval — even if they still have unfinished schoolwork to do.

The time mooted is 9pm for primary school students and 10pm for middle school students.

The 33-point action plan, published on Monday on the website of Zhejiang’s education department, also advises parents to “refrain from competing with others,” suggests boosting counseling support for students and forbids extra tutoring over weekends and school vacations.

The proposal has touched a nerve in China, with some parents concerned that reducing the homework burden will put children at a disadvantage when preparing for the highly competitive college entrance exam.

The country’s education system revolves around the “gaokao,” the main route to Chinese universities. “It’s better not to take exams,” wrote one on the Twitter-like social media platform Weibo. “Cancel all the entrance examinations. Protect the children. Never let the children get a little tired.”

“I oppose this. It will result in the children lacking a sense of responsibility from early age,” wrote another.

The People’s Daily, weighed in, saying that it was “unquestionable that very few parents want their children to bear excessive homework” but that “excellent academic performance is necessary for the gaokao, as well as the fiercely competitive workplace.”

Other provinces are also considering similar rules to help reduce the burden on students, who often face long school days, high pressure and a raft of after-school classes and training.

But many supported the proposal, which called for schools, after-school training institutions, parents and education authorities to help reduce the workload placed on children.

“Let children be children and be happy,” wrote one on Weibo.