Chinese province to ban homework on mobile apps

Chinese province to ban homework on mobile apps

Students line-up to get eyesight test at a primary school in Donglin Township of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang province. (Xinhua via AP photo)
Students line-up to get eyesight test at a primary school in Donglin Township of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang province. (Xinhua via AP photo)

BEIJING: An eastern Chinese province plans to ban teachers from assigning homework to be completed on mobile apps as part of efforts to preserve students' eyesight.

Zhejiang province issued a draft regulation last week and is seeking public comment.

Along with barring app-based homework assignments, it would limit the use of electronic devices to 30% of total teaching time and encourage the issuing of paper homework to be completed by hand.

Soaring rates of nearsightedness are blamed partly on screen usage.

The regulation would bar primary and middle school students from bringing electronic devices into classrooms without permission, restrict amounts of homework assigned and increase the time for breaks, sports and extra-curricular activities.

It says no written homework at all should be assigned to first and second graders.



Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (2)

EU warns Kosovo and Serbia to end violence or face consequences

LJUBLJANA: European leaders gave Kosovo and Serbia a list of clear tasks to end the worst outbreak of violence in a decade, saying they must ease tensions or face serious consequences.

14:32

National park employee charged for alleged assault, attempted rape

KANCHANABURI: A national park employee has been detained and charged after he allegedly assaulted a Lithuanian woman and attempted to rape her near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district.

13:20

Meth spike

Asian drug trafficking networks are increasingly using sea routes to smuggle methamphetamines out of Myanmar and ramping up ketamine production as they seek to expand their business.

12:16