Parents need not be pupils' unpaid homework tutors

It seems to be increasingly the case that, as soon as Chinese parents return home from a hard day's work, they start working as unpaid tutors to help their children with their homework.

In education theory, there has always been a debate about "nature versus nurture". Thus the question: Can those with innate high IQ get excellent test scores despite doing little homework, or others of seemingly less natural ability can do just as well if they are provided with the right home environment in which to study more and prepare for those tests? Most educators believe parents can exert a powerful influence on their children by building a supportive home environment for doing homework.

However, this environment includes setting aside a fixed amount of time for children to do their homework, free of distractions, in a quiet room. Good reference books and perhaps the latest technology can all help, as can parents' encouraging attitude to doing homework, a strong interest in the results and even the incentive of some reward for getting good results. None of this, though, implies that parents need to act as substitute or additional tutors for their children.