Think you work hard in Hong Kong? Pfft! Not as hard as a primary school kid, that’s for sure.
According to a new survey by the Caritas Youth and Community Service, 80 percent of Primary 6 pupils (they’re about 11 years old) take between eight and 16 hours of extra classes each week.
Around 4.2 percent were found to take on 17 to 24 extra hours a week, while one percent reported taking 25 hours or more.
In one very extreme case, a pupil was found to be taking nine hours of tutorial classes straight after school, not finishing until 1am.
Bet he/she hasn’t been put off education at all!
Interviews were conducted with 1,677 pupils and their parents from 34 Hong Kong primary schools between March and May this year.
Lit Ho-cheung from student guidance organisation Hok Yau Club told Headline Daily that such long hours would take both a physical and mental toll on children.
He called for a review of the process for secondary school allocation, explaining that parents put particular pressure on their kids at this stage to ensure they get good grades in the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA).
Photo: Wikimedia
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