According to a latest research by the Institute of Elementary Education of the Tianjin Institute of Educational Research, Chinese pupils spend much longer time in class than their counterparts in developed countries. Although Chinese pupils have much more homework to do, their creativity and manipulative ability are not as good as pupils in developed countries.

A Chinese pupil spends 245 days at school every year, the same as a Japanese pupil, but the figures in the US and UK are only 180 days and 210 days respectively. The total class hours of a Chinese pupil every year are 1,050 hours, while that of a Japanese pupil is no more than 950 hours every year.

A class period in Chinese elementary schools is 40 minutes, and teachers often have no right to adjust the arrangement of class periods as they see fit.

Though there are many courses taught in Chinese elementary schools, most of them are limited to book knowledge learning only, particularly science courses.

(Chinanews November 6, 2007)