School kids are busy with homework as a new term begins soon

Speakers: Li Ningjing, Sam Duckett, and Lu Sirui

[Photo: Baidu.com]

The nearly 790,000 pupils who attend primary schools in Shanghai begin the new semester tomorrow, and many of them have been spending the final days of the vacation on finishing their homework.

A recent survey of 6,376 local families conducted by PsyLife, a local educational consulting institution, showed that 21 percent of the students had procrastination problems and were rushing to complete homework as the summer holiday draws to a close.

Some parents said procrastination had proved a headache for their children throughout the vacation.

The survey also showed that only 26 percent of the students spent the vacation without undergoing any cramming classes or study-oriented travel programs.

About 62 percent of the children have attended cramming schools and spent seven hours a week at them on average. And about 4 percent spent more than 16 hours a week at cramming schools. Foreign language, arts and math were the top three subjects.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.