Pressure on youngest of pupils eases

Ministry says kindergartens may no longer teach math, languages

Kindergartens will no longer be allowed to teach young children primary-school-level lessons, the Ministry of Education announced on Friday. The rule is designed to ensure that children are not overburdened in their formative years, it said.

Banned subjects include primary-school-level Chinese language, mathematics and English coursework. The rule will prevent kindergartens from forcing grade school academic education on children too early, the ministry said.