In July last year, China introduced the “double reduction” policy(双减政策). It hopes to solve the problems of the homework and off- campus tutoring for school students. It requires schools to reduce the amount and the difficulty of homework and provide after-class services.

For example, children below the third grade have no homework while homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish. “Our homework is clearly less than before,” said 13-year-old Shen Yuzhe from Bejjing. “I have joined a group. The exercises are mainly from the textbook.” According to Shen, teachers now teach at a much slower speed. Students have enough time to process new knowledge. “Our teachers are also giving us more chances to do experiments and learn from real life,” said Shen. Some students now spend more time having fun when homework is finished early.”

According to the policy, tutoring institutions(培训结构) can not teach students contents that are too advanced for the school. Tutoring courses can not be arranged on weekends, in national holidays or during winter and summer vacations.

According to the policy, primary and middle schools are asked to offer after-school services, including homework tutoring, sports, arts, reading and interest groups.

At present, many cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Guangzhou, have started to follow the policy first. It will later be introduced around China.

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Ma Miyang is an eighth-grader from Zhengzhou, Henan. During the first log holiday after the double reduction policy（双减政策）was introduced, Ma felt more relaxed, since the homework was clearly much less but more enjoyable. With more free time, Ma said she could develop new hobbies.

Like Ma, many middle school students welcomed the changes brought by the policy. Liu Yifei, a seventh-grader, said she visited a museum in Taiyuan, Shanxi, as part of her homework. “It’s more fun than memorizing（记住）things from books,” Liu said. Another big difference for Liu was that she didn’t have after-school classes anymore. This gave her more time to play badminton and get healthier.

___▲___ “I used to take many after-school classes, but now I’ve lost their help and need to depend on myself,” said ninth-grader Zhou Xiuwei from Nanjing, Jiangsu. “I felt more stressed this holiday.”

The goal（目标）of the double reduction policy, according to Wang Jian, director（负责人）at Shanghai Normal University, was to let students learn more efficiently（有效地）and develop all-round abilities（全面的能力）. “It’s difficult for students to be independent learners, but this will help them become more creative and find their true talents,” Wang told Xinmin Weekly.