GUIYANG -- Parents and principals in a southwest China city have expressed doubts and concerns about a new rule that sets maximum school hours for hard-pressed primary and middle school pupils.

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Primary school children have been set a maximum six-hour school day, and the time limits for junior middle school students are seven hours and for senior middle school students eight hours, according to the rule in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province.

"The rule appears good, as it sets school hour limits, forbids prolonging of classes and extra classes," said 45-year-old Chen Zhaosheng, whose daughter is a middle school student in the city.

"But I have some doubts as to whether it can be put into practice, as teachers and students now only focus on exams," he said.

Guiyang is not the first to set the maximum school hours in the country. In accordance with a regulation issued in 1994 by China's education authorities asking schools to ease children's study burdens, cities such as Tianjin, Zhengzhou and Wuhan have promulgated similar rules.

In urban primary schools, children commonly stay at school after class, studying until their parents pick them up. Many middle school students stay in school doing homework assigned by teachers.

"My son is addicted to Internet bars. I cannot imagine what will happen when he is completely left alone as the school will ask him to go home earlier than before," said Lin Zhigang, 41, whose son is in middle school.

Like Chen and Lin, many parents hold a wait-and-see attitude toward the new rule, which will come into force in the new spring semester.

But some principals agree with the rule.

"I totally support the rule, which has led to the cancellation of morning self-study classes, allowing students more sleep at home," said Ci Zhaoming, vice-president of the No. 21 Middle School.

The stipulations of less homework hours were also good as they gave students more free time.

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