Hefei schools to allow late summer assignments

Primary and middle school students in Hefei, Anhui province, will be allowed to turn in their summer vacation assignments by two weeks into the new semester if they missed the deadline of registration day, education authorities said on Wednesday.

The Hefei education bureau announced the decision as it set the first school day in the city on Sept 1. The bureau said schools may not give exams or quizzes to students in any form within the first two weeks.

The bureau said the decision aimed to designate a "transition period" to allow students to ease into the new semester from the summer holidays. Schools should organize activities such as "co-parenting week" and mental health classes to help adjust the mental states for both parents and students.

Primary and middle schools in China generally assign light homework for students during the holidays, which often includes exercise booklets for Chinese language and mathematics, as well as items outside the campus such as diaries or short compositions on visits to museums.

However, many students often play hard during most of the holiday and rush to finish the assignments just days — or even hours — before registration.