Non-academic training

Li Yuan, the mother of a primary school student in Beijing's Dongcheng district, said her daughter's school has organized free day-care activities for its students, including interest groups and sports.

The school has a wide range of interest groups that conduct free instruction sessions during winter and summer breaks. Li said her daughter prefers going to school to attend such activities, rather than staying at home for the winter vacation.

After the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing, the day-care service was halted and Li arranged sports activities for her daughter, such as swimming and playing tennis, as well as painting, calligraphy and playing the guzheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument.

"Achieving high scores does not conflict with all-around development, and children with diverse hobbies can also perform well academically," Li said.

She added that her daughter likes going to school, and lessons in class should be the main form of education. No matter how many tutoring courses a student takes, effective classroom learning is more important, according to Li.

Wang Zining, who is in the fifth grade at Beijing No 2 Experimental Primary School, said he has spent more time practicing calligraphy and reading during the holiday.

He said he learned about calligraphy and performing drama at the after-class services offered by the school. He has written Spring Festival couplets and the Chinese character fu (meaning happiness and luck) for his family.

Wang's father said he asked the boy to draw up his own schedule for the winter holiday, which also included more physical exercise and household chores.

"The school has never encouraged students to take tutoring courses, and I do not want him to spend too much time trying to earn a single extra point in exams," the father said.