Lighter study burden rule: Is it working?

Some parents applaud move, while others continue to feel the strain

Many Chinese parents have mixed feelings about the government's latest move to lighten the schoolwork burden on primary and middle school students.

While some parents think the move to reduce the study burden might free their children from the pressure of a pile of papers and textbooks and let them enjoy childhood, others worry that when public schools reduce the number of homework assignments, make tests easier and downgrade the importance of scores, it is the parents who must step into the vacuum to provide their children with more extracurricular learning to help them stand out from their peers and eventually gain admission to a good university.