China's education authority has slashed the heavy schooling and extracurricular burdens on primary and secondary school students, as well as complicated administrative procedures imposed on teachers on Friday.

Chen Baosheng, the minister of education, told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing national legislative session in Beijing that China should move faster to address the burden of both students and teachers. 

China's school-age children have long been struggling with excessive homework at school and extracurricular tutoring after class, adding mental and financial pressure to the students and their families as well.

Over the past decades, China has issued dozens of documents to ease the burden of students in school – yet the effect has been minimal. Data shows that an average pupil in China spends 2.82 hours finishing homework assignments every day, which is about three times the global average.

Others also complain that some teachers refrain from teaching the core syllabus during school but instead make students attend the training courses they hold after class.

Easing the burden for primary and secondary school students is not only an  educational reform but also requires concerted efforts from the whole of society, Chen said.

"Schools should step up scientific management, allowing teachers to give lessons and instructions based only on the curriculum," he said. "Afterschool tutoring classes should also be regulated, making sure that they do not distort the original education order."

During the press conference, the ministry vowed to cut links between school teachers and training institutions, make sure that school admission will not be based on exam scores at the compulsory education stage, and rebalance educational resources to guarantee fair schooling.

Chen also vowed to relieve administrative burdens on teachers by cutting red tape and streamlining assessment procedures so that they can better focus on their teaching.

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