Teachers should not let parents grade or check students' homework, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday after several local education authorities banned the practice following fierce criticism from parents.
LyuYugang, director of the ministry's department of basic education, said teachers should not assign any homework to parents or assign homework that is so demanding that only parents can finish it on their children's behalf.
"They should also not ask parents to grade or check students' homework and I should stress that this requirement should be delivered to all teachers," he said at a news conference.
Teachers should grade students' homework themselves, give timely feedback and answer their questions, he said, adding that they should not assign punitive or repetitive homework.
Schools should limit the amount of homework and make sure its difficulty does not exceed the standard for the curriculum, he said.
Students in the same grade should have the same homework and there should be coordination between teachers not to assign too much homework, he added.