Two teens in eastern China committed suicide after "failing to complete homework assignments", state-run media said today, in an extreme case highlighting the immense pressure schoolchildren can face.
In a highly competitive education system that emphasises rote learning and passing exams, Chinese students spend on average 8.6 hours a day in class and can expect several more hours of assignments afterwards.
A 15-year-old boy in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, who failed to finish homework from a three-day public holiday jumped to his death in the morning yesterday, the China Daily said.
A 13-year-old boy in the same town got up in the wee hours yesterday to complete holiday assignments but was found hanging on a staircase at his home two hours later, it said.
"In a suicide note, the boy said he loved his parents, felt sorry for them and hoped they could bring lilies, his favourite flower, to his grave," it said.
Parents in China frequently complain about the emphasis on rote memorisation and tests and the rigid teaching style.
Some students spend as much as 12 hours in the classroom each day, a 2007 survey by China's Youth and Children Research Centre reported. They can typically expect several hours of homework on top of that.
