There’s been a big change in China’s education system, and it’s raising questions about what’s best for students’ success. The government enforced the “double reduction policy” to prevent students from attending tuition schools for core subjects on holidays and weekends. The double reduction policy was put into place to ease the pressure on students undergoing compulsory education, reduce family expenditure on education and ease parents’ burden. It was also expected to solve a series of social problems such as students’ falling levels of physical fitness, increased psychological problems and decreased willingness to have children. The double reduction affects students, teachers, tuition schools and parents. In response to this new policy, schools announced that they would require students go to school on Saturdays and stay at school until 8:30pm from Monday to Friday to compensate for this new rule. This means that students have less free time and do most of their homework at school and must study more by themselves without the support of tuition schools. As a student here in China, I wonder if this choice was more damaging than helpful.
Students felt happy at first, but then they felt a bit worried. The double reduction changed their lives because they couldn’t have lessons on the weekends. They had to change their methods of studying. Some students didn’t experience much pressure, but other students felt stressed about their falling grades because they can’t study by themselves well. This created a clear divide in students’ academic performance. Only one of the twenty students in my class supported the schools’ decision to enforce school on Saturdays. A girl in grade eight from class eleven at Yancheng middle school named Weilai said: “It takes up too much time. I nearly don’t have enough time to do what I want to do.” Another girl in the same class named Yihan said: “I do my homework better at home than at school.” I think the double reduction policy is good because I can arrange more time for myself. I don’t think that the schools’ decision to enforce school on Saturdays was right, because it made students too tired. It’s ironic that when the government attempted to lessen students’ workload and free up more time for them, the schools responded by adding one more day of school a week!
The parents are worried about the double reduction policy because they are afraid their children will not be able to catch up with their studies. Most parents agree with the schools’ decision to have school on Saturday. They want their children to spend more time studying. Other parents think that children will copy each other’s homework and chat with one another, so they don’t agree. All parents are worried about their children’s well-being, but they are more afraid that their children will fall behind other students. My parents think I study more efficiently and easily at home. One mother said: “I am a bit anxious, I’m afraid my daughter will not get a good mark.” Parents are paying more attention to their children’s school marks.
Teachers think the double reduction policy reduces the pressure on parents and students. At the same time, it has become more difficult for schools and teachers to manage their students, because they stay at school for longer than before. They don’t agree with the schools’ decision to have school on Saturdays, just like their students. Teachers think that the double reduction will improve the possibility of students getting better marks, but there is no sign of this so far. Teachers feel more pressure and responsibility to help their students because parents, schools and even society have more expectations of them. Students are not able to rely on their tutors as much as before, so teachers are expected to fill that gap. Teachers also feel that it is their responsibility to ensure that all their students get high marks and succeed. They think students don’t need to go to school on Saturdays and thar the “after-school time” should be shorter.
            I think the best solution is to study at school until 8:30pm, but not have school Saturdays. I also think students should have time to discuss learning problems with each other. They should have time to take part in different activities together. I realize that China’s education system is unique. There’s no other country around the world that operates similarly. I wonder how students in different countries would respond to the double reduction policy. What would happen if this policy was implemented in your school?