Student uses portable desk to do homework on subway

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A short video clip posted online of a student writing his homework on a portable desk on a crowded subway train drew critical comments and attention to schoolwork pressure.

Shanghai student pictured doing home work on a subway./ Photo: ThePaper.cn

After a netizen uploaded the images captured at Qufu Road station in Shanghai late Wednesday, the kid’s mother later posted an online message saying that she didn’t ask her son to study on the subway, according to a report by thepaper.cn.

They were just taking the desk home, having brought it from somewhere else, she said.

Nevertheless, some comments said they shouldn’t have taken up public space, especially on a crowded carriage. What’s more, they said doing homework on a subway could be detrimental to the boy’s eyesight.

On the very same day, a similar scene of a student doing homework while having an intravenous drip in hospital was posted as well. Next to him was his father who was flipping through a mobile.

Shanghai student and his mother stand in subway station. / Photo: ThePaper.cn

For a long time, there have been complaints about overburdening homework in China. Lots of efforts have been made to reduce the after-school workload of Chinese students over the years, yet many still feel under pressure to keep up with their peers.

In July 2013, China's education agency issued a ban on written homework for first and second graders during the summer vacation.

A student doing homework in hospital./ Photo: ThePaper.cn

When it comes to Shanghai, according to a 2015 study published by international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and various education research partners,15-year-olds in the city spend the most amount of time on homework among other cities around the world – an average of 13.8 hours per week.

In recent years, Shanghai has made a name internationally for its outstanding academic standards, especially in primary education.