China bans exams for junior kids as it aims to rein in hyper-competitive education system

China’s exam-oriented system previously required students to take exams from first grade onwards, culminating in the feared university entrance exam at age 18 known as the gaokao, where a single score can determine a child’s life trajectory.

Beijing on Monday banned written exams for six- and seven-year-olds as part of sweeping education reforms aimed at relieving pressure on students and parents in China’s hyper-competitive school system.

The new rules, published on Monday, are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over its society and key sectors of its economy. (Reuters)

China’s exam-oriented system previously required students to take exams from first grade onwards, culminating in the feared university entrance exam at age 18 known as the gaokao, where a single score can determine a child’s life trajectory.

“Too frequent exams ... which cause students to be overburdened and under huge exam pressure” have been axed by the ministry of education, according to new guidelines released Monday. The ministry said the pressure on pupils from a young age “harms their mental and physical health”.

China limits online gaming to 3 hrs a week

China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to what it once described as “spiritual opium”.

The new rules, published on Monday, are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over its society and key sectors of its economy. They limit under-18s to playing for one hour a day - 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. - on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Xinhua state news agency.