Children take part in a game at a kindergarten in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, on Sept 1, the first day of the new semester for most students across China. Schools nationwide are taking steps to relieve the academic burden of their students and promote their all-around development. 

Zhejiang authorities released an action plan on relieving primary and junior high school students of the burden of excessive homework and after-school tutoring on Aug 31.

The move is in response to the national guideline issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council in July. The guideline is often referred to as the "double reduction" policy.

Zhejiang's action plan mandates an overall reduction of homework. The province's primary schools must ensure that all students can complete their written homework in school, while the province's junior high schools must ensure that all students can complete most of their homework in school.

The action plan requires schools to improve their after-school services. All schools should run an after-school session every working day, and it should last at least two hours and conclude no earlier than when people working in local government organizations and enterprises end their workday. The session should be extended for students with special needs.

The action plan has called for a unified entrance exam paper for senior high schools across the entire province and top senior high schools should allocate their admission quotas more evenly between graduates from different senior high schools.

All curriculum-based tutoring institutions have to be registered as nonprofit organizations. They are not allowed to conduct tutoring on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations.

Local governments across Zhejiang should not approve of any new tutoring institutions that offers academic training for primary and junior high school students.