School curriculum to undergo reforms

China will reform the school curriculum to reduce demands placed on children, Reuters reported. Vice Education Minister Yuan Guiren said his ministry would make textbooks easier, reduce homework, limit the number of tests and make classes more interesting. "Too much emphasis is placed on diplomas and exam scores," he said. He also said that the one-child policy, a competitive job market and unrealistic expectations from parents were some of the causes of the increasingly high burdens placed on Chinese schoolchildren. Urban public schools and private schools have also been told to accept 7.88 million school-going age children of migrant workers who have had trouble receiving an education in their adopted cities in the past.