Burden of students Authorities have introduced a set of guidelines to ease the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students undergoing compulsory education. China’s nine-year free compulsory education system covers primary school and junior middle school. Jointly issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, the document specifies guiding principles and targets of the initiative. It detailed requirements in areas including reducing homework and improving quality of education and after-class services provided by schools. It also pledges to adopt a strict approval and supervision system for off-campus tutoring programs featuring curriculum subjects such as math and physics. Flood-ravaged Henan A new spell of heavy rain was expected to lash the flood-ravaged province of Henan in Central China from Monday to Thursday, according to forecasts. Torrential rain has caused 69 deaths by Monday and affected millions of people in the province. The cities of Xinyang, Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Puyang, Hebi and Anyang are likely to witness heavy downpours, intensifying the local flood control situation, said the Henan provincial meteorological observatory. From July 17 to Sunday, a total of 132 townships in Xinxiang have been ravaged by rainstorms, affecting more than 2 million people. Heritage site The ancient port of Quanzhou was bestowed the much-coveted title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee during its extended 44th session held in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, on Sunday. The newly inscribed item, “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China,” features 22 historical sites and monuments across the coastal city in southeastern China, which was one of the world’s largest and busiest ports during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. Quanzhou, known as Zayton overseas, is believed to be the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Three-child policy China has adopted a decision that allows couples to have three children, together with a slew of supporting measures for its implementation. At a press conference last week, Yu Xuejun, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC), said the decision is more than just an improvement of the two-child birth policy. There are approximately 42 million infants and children below the age of three in China, one third of whom entail strong demand for child nursery services, and yet only 5.5 percent have access to such services, said Yang Wenzhuang, head of the population and family department of the NHC. Having no people to look after children is a salient problem that constrains childbirth, Yang said. (SD-Agencies) | 