The Beijing municipal commission of education's measures to ease students' burden are a crucial step in education reform, says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpts:

At the beginning of the new education session, the Beijing education commission issued specific restrictions on class hours, homework, tests, competitions, remedial lessons and additional reading in primary and middle schools to reduce the burden of students.

Such moves have become the norm in recent years and are getting more specific like ensuring that students get enough sleep and banning some tests. But some observers may feel disappointed seeing little children still carrying heavy schoolbags and buried in school work, calculating numbers and reciting texts, despite being wary and tired.

Yet the situation is not disheartening because education reform is ushering in new changes, slowly but steadily. For example, the performance of students no longer relies only on test points; it also depends on the quality of education and students' innovative capability.

Also, many parents are spending more time on developing their children's interests and trying to enhance their knowledge. Besides, a richer and more open-minded Chinese society today offers children better understanding of the world and more freedom of choice.

Efforts to reduce students' burden are not yielding results as fast as expected because of China's huge population and the resultant competition and pressure for getting a job.

Anxiety is forcing people to look for quick success and children have become its biggest victims. Society needs to overcome this anxiety to enable long-term education reform to be successful.

(China Daily 03/05/2013 page10)