Farewell to off-campus tutoring, schools give students happier summer break

Students in provinces and cities across China will return to their campuses during summer vacation this year, but not to take classes. This year students will spend a fun summer back at school as China's educational authorities strive to alleviate the burden on them.

This year's summer vacation started around mid-July. Many primary schools in Beijing, east China's Shandong Province and the southernmost island province of Hainan opened to provide daycare services for the students. The move won support from society, as it can not only ease the pressure on students from the competitive tutoring institutions but also on working parents who have to take care of their children during the holiday.

COLORFUL SUMMERTIME ON CAMPUS

Chu Rongqi, 9, was reading a fairy tale in the library at Beijing Primary School in Xicheng District of the capital on Monday morning.

 

"The daycare program is great. The activities are much more interesting than I expected," Chu said, adding she had thought the daycare program was boring, and she might have to do homework. But instead, she took part in various activities such as reading and jumping rope, while making many new friends.

The Beijing Primary School offers daycare services for students from seven nearby schools.

In Beijing, each subdistrict is required to open at least one school to provide such services for students from grade one to grade five in primary schools. The program started on Monday and is divided into two periods, each of which lasts for 12 days. It will end on August 20.

 

Participating schools are required to open their learning facilities to students, including libraries and sports venues during the summer vacation, and academic training and group tutoring are not allowed, according to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.