Taking the pressure off

Sun Ruifeng, a mother in Beijing, changed some of her plans for her 8-year-old son’s summer vacation. She looked for an English tutoring course, but in the end, she changed it to a swimming training class.
孙瑞枫(音)是一位北京妈妈，她对8岁儿子的暑假计划做了些改动。她本想报一个英语辅导班，但最后改报了游泳培训班。

“Due to the stricter regulations on subject-tutoring classes, many parents like me choose sports or other projects for developing interests instead,” Sun said.
“由于国家对学科类课外培训出台了更严格的规定，许多像我这样的家长选择让孩子上运动类课程或其他兴趣班，”孙瑞枫表示。

Sun’s choice is part of the result of the government’s growing efforts to lighten the academic pressure on young students.
国家加大力度减轻义务教育阶段学生学业压力，是孙瑞枫做出如此选择的原因之一。

On July 24, Chinese authorities introduced a guideline to ease the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for primary and junior high school students. It lists requirements in areas such as reducing the amount and the difficulty of homework and improving the quality of education and after-class services provided by schools.
7月24日，为减轻中小学生家庭作业、课后辅导过多的负担，我国相关部门印发了一份意见。《意见》列出了诸如减少家庭作业的数量和难度，提高学校教育和课外服务质量等方面的要求。

For example, homework for children below the third grade is not allowed, while homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish.
例如，小学一、二年级不得布置家庭书面作业，初中书面作业平均完成时间不得超过90分钟。

According to the guideline, tutoring institutions cannot teach students content that is too advanced for the school curriculum. No tutoring courses can be taught on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations.
《意见》指出，严禁校外培训机构组织超标超前培训。校外培训机构不得占用国家法定节假日、休息日及寒暑假期组织学科类培训。

The moves aim to bring education back as public welfare and guide the educational training industry to focus on improving students’ all-round quality, Chen Xianzhe, a professor at South China Normal University, told Xinhua.
这些举措旨在让教育回归公共福利以及指导教育培训行业专注于提高学生的全面素质，华南师范大学教授陈先哲在接受新华社采访时表示。

According to Global Times, more than 75 percent of Chinese urban children, from grade 1 to grade 12, are enrolled in tutoring programs. However, some training institutions take part in anxiety marketing, selling unnecessary programs that increase the burden on students.
据《环球时报》报道，中国城市75％以上的中小学生参加了校外辅导。然而，一些培训机构却进行焦虑营销，销售不必要的课程，增加了学生的负担。

This has led to many social problems such as students’ falling levels of physical fitness, more mental health problems and huge family costs, said Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences.
中国教育科学研究院高级研究员储朝晖指出，这导致了许多社会问题，如学生身体素质下降，产生更多心理问题和不菲的家庭开支等”。

Many parents showed their support for the new moves. “Subject learning is enough at school and we hope to improve the children’s overall quality of life during holidays,” a parent surnamed Zhou in Guangzhou told Xinhua.
许多家长对这些新举措表示支持。“学科学习在学校就够了,我们希望在假期提高孩子们的整体生活质量,“广州的一位周姓家长接受新华社采访时表示。

However, there are also some concerns. A parent surnamed Chen in Shanxi said that although she agreed with the new moves, she worried about what her son would do after school if both parents have no time to be with him.
但有的家长也有一些后顾之忧。山西一位陈姓家长表示，尽管她支持这些新举措，但她担心如果父母双方都没有时间陪儿子，孩子放学后又该做什么呢？

According to the guideline, primary and middle schools are asked to offer after-school services, including homework tutoring, sports, arts, reading and interest groups.
《意见》指出，中小学应当开展课后服务，包括家庭作业辅导、体育、艺术、阅读和兴趣小组等。

At present, nine cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Guangzhou, have been selected to implement the guideline. It will later be rolled out nationwide.
目前，北京、上海、沈阳、广州等9个城市被确立为首批试点城市。未来双减工作会在全国开展。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一839期