The case of a 12-year-old runaway who performed her disappearing act to dodge an extracurricular language class has drawn attention to the intense academic pressure that many Chinese parents place on their children.
On Sunday in the central Chinese city of Changsha, a man identified by local media as Mr. Deng found his sixth-grade daughter missing after being told she had never turned up for an English-language program in the neighborhood.
After nearly 24 hours of anxious searching, Deng's family and their neighbors located the girl in a staircase of a residential building. According to Changsha Daily, she told them she had simply wanted to enjoy her holidays and skip the class, which she attended every week for over a year.
Schoolchildren in east China’s Zhejiang Province attending an English class during the summer vacation. /VCG Photo
There have been similar incidents elsewhere in China, as parents insist on packing their kids' spare time with endless after-school study sessions.
A recent survey in Changsha found that 96 percent of the schoolchildren attend extra classes at the weekend. The biggest share, as much as 40 percent, have to juggle three or four courses, with another 22 percent burdened with more than five.
In China, a nation famed for its unswerving belief in education, most parents regard life as not just a journey, but a race. "Don't allow your kids to lose the head-start" is a slogan with an almost universal appeal.
Gaining the advantage, however, calls for strenuous efforts on the part of the young ones. In addition to regular school hours, they have to take extra courses in subjects such as math and English, often reluctantly.
Advertisements for after-school classes in central China’s Henan Province. /VCG Photo
After Sunday’s incident, Mr. Deng decided to give his girl a break and planned to have a family vacation. But it may be a long time before the majority of parents come to notice the costs of a stressful childhood.
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