Education on practical labor skills will be incorporated into the curriculum of China's primary and secondary schools from this year's fall semester, according to the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education.

From household chores such as cleaning, cooking, organization and storage to skills in agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors, the aim is to encourage students to participate in manual labor in addition to academic learning and develop an all-round grounding.

Courses will be stage-based.

Take cooking as an example. Students in the first and second grades will be encouraged to take on basic tasks such as washing and preparing vegetables. In the third and fourth grades, they will be taught to make Chinese cold dishes and how to steam and cook food such as steamed buns and dumplings. Grades five and six will learn to cook two to three meals, such as the quick and easy home-style dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It is envisaged that grade seven to nine students will be able to independently make three to four dishes for lunch or dinner after the course.

According to the guidelines, the courses should not be less than one class hour per week on average and a student's performance should be evaluated with a multidimensional approach.

Earlier, the country had introduced a set of guidelines to reduce the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students receiving compulsory education. China's nine-year free compulsory education system covers primary and junior middle schools.