China passed a law Saturday to limit the pressure on children from homework and after-school tutoring, state media said, as the country reforms its ultra-competitive education system.

The government has imposed several rules in recent months aimed at combating activities it considers harmful to the development of China’s youth. 
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Beijing has already banned minors from playing online games for more than three hours a week in an effort to tackle addiction. It has also launched a crackdown on private tutoring companies, ordering them to go non-profit.

Local authorities will be told to “strengthen their supervision in order to reduce the burden on students in terms of homework and extra-curricular lessons”, said news agency Xinhua, citing a law passed by the Chinese legislature.

“Parents… must allocate in a reasonable way for minors the time devoted to studies, rest, entertainment and physical activity in order not to increase their learning load and to avoid any internet addiction.” 
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The law will come into force on January 1 next year.

China’s exam-oriented education system requires students to take exams from an early age and culminates in the feared university entrance exam at age 18 known as the “gaokao”, where a single score can determine a child’s life trajectory.
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Many parents spend a fortune to enrol their children in the best schools or private lessons, which takes a toll on both their finances and the health of the youngsters. 

Reducing the pressure on parents is also seen as a way to encourage Chinese people to have more children as the country’s population ages.
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