A tragedy that highlights kids' plight

Unable to cope with the pressure of homework, an 11-year-old schoolgirl jumped to her death from her seventh-floor balcony in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on March 30, highlighting anew the tremendous stress that today's students have to endure. The tragedy occurred after the fourth grader's mother brought her home from school to complete her homework.

Although it cannot be said why exactly the girl committed suicide, there is no denying that like all her peers she too must have been facing the pressure of homework. Chinese students, even those in preschools, spend hours - sometimes late into the night - doing homework. And parents have been complaining that much of the homework is time-consuming mechanical repetition of lessons, such as copying texts, which interferes with their children's playtime and sleep.

Left with few or no choice, some parents even become "ghostwriters" of the heavy, tedious homework. Many even take the responsibility of doing the "mission impossible" assigned to their children such as designing original posters for a school contest to ensure that their children get enough rest and sleep.