China to limit homework given to pupils because many are short-sighted

 

THE Chinese government has directed schools to limit the amount of homework given to students in order to counter worsening short-sightedness among minors.

 

The new measure, issued on Thursday by the Education Ministry, asked teachers to stop assigning written homework to first and second-year primary school students.

Third to sixth graders should be given assignments that can be completed within one hour and 90 minutes for junior secondary school students.

Other recommendations in the notice include extending physical education lessons to at least one hour every day and adjusting classroom chairs and desks each month in accordance to students’ heights. Schools are also encouraged to create eye health records for each pupil.

The authority justified the new curbs as a way to counter worsening visual impairment among minors after President Xi Jinping last week called for greater national attention on optical health.

Chinese official studies and media reports have warned of growing rates of near-sightedness, or myopia, and among increasingly younger children.

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Excessive screen time and strict school study routines are often blamed.

A national vision report in 2015 said around 500 million Chinese – nearly half the population above five years old – suffer visual impairment, 450 million are near-sighted, and rates were rising.

It estimated visual impairment issues cost China around $100 billion in 2012.

Media regulators are also directed to limit the number of new online games, restrict playing time and develop an age-restriction system in the industry.

Although no specifics or timeframe were given, the move adds to perceptions that there is a broader campaign to rein in China’s fast-growing video game sub-culture after authorities already made clear their concerns over gaming addiction and the violent content of many shoot-em-up titles.

The government’s online list of approved new titles has not been updated since May. Previously, the list had been updated regularly.

The world’s largest gaming industry was rattled earlier this month when Tencent said it was ordered to pull the hit game ‘Monster Hunter: World’ from sale, just days after it debuted.