To truly alleviate the non-teaching burden on primary and secondary school teachers, the Secretariat of the Central Leading Group for Education Work issued a notice on Apr. 24, launching an initiative in the education sector to limit the number of non-educational matters schools are involved in.

The notice clearly defines the scope and objectives of this initiative. It aims to address the rise of non-educational activities and tasks schools oversee and standardize school governance practices regarding non-educational activities by establishing and optimizing relevant approval and supervision mechanisms, thus fostering an environment conducive to teaching and learning.

The notice outlines four major tasks. First, a systematic assessment will be conducted before establishing standards for the inclusion of non-educational activities. Second, a strict and transparent approval and reporting system will be put in place at the provincial, municipal, and county levels to regulate the number of non-educational activities schools oversee. Third, plans for schools to get involved in non-educational activities will be reviewed and streamlined as appropriate, ensuring the quality of their implementation by controlling their scope and duration. Lastly, this initiative will be normalized through ongoing monitoring, verification, and communication.

The notice calls upon local education-related government departments to reinforce accountability, standardize the inclusion of non-educational activities in schools as the most effective way of alleviating teachers’ workload and curbing bureaucratic tendencies within the education system. It stresses the need to fully implement the initiative and gauge its effectiveness using feedback from teachers and students.