Video: GT

Schools in Shanghai on Monday disinfected campuses and rehearsed for emergencies to prepare for the new semester starting on Wednesday. They also issued detailed measures to reduce students' studying burden in response to the country's call to improve the quality of education and reduce excessive homework and off-campus tutoring.

At the newly decorated Xuhui Experimental School affiliated to prestigious Fudan University, school faculties were seen disinfecting the campus so that students can return to a safe and comfortable learning environment. 

The Global Times reporter noted a robot was monitoring and welcoming people entering the teaching building at Shanghai Luwan Middle School on Monday. Meanwhile, another robot was seen disinfecting the campus, which is expected to work each day after 7 pm when school begins classes. All teachers and students will receive an anti-epidemic package with face masks, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, alcohol-disinfect wipes and so on.

Under the guidelines released by the country in July to reduce students' burden of compulsory education, specifically excessive homework and off-campus tutoring, many schools issued detailed measures to make students' on-campus life more enjoyable and regulated.

About 80 percent of parents intended to let their children attend on-campus activities after school from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. "The school has 24 kinds of different extracurricular courses such as chess, tennis and shooting taught by professional teachers," Huang Qi, principal of Xuhui Experimental School affiliated to Fudan University said during a group interview on Monday. 

Over 500 students at the school will have PE class everyday for the new semester, so the school expanded the sports areas in order to meet the growing demand, according to Huang. The school also recruited two new PE teachers this year.

During the two hours, students can get homework tutoring, take part in activities and read, Huang said. Students will be free to do sports at the playground. For individual students who need more time, schools will have detailed measures. 

In order to reduce students' burden on excessive homework, Shanghai Luwan Middle School set up a mechanism to open the homework to school students and teachers as well as parents, in order to "improve homework quality," Zhang Yi, principal of Shanghai Luwan Middle School, said on Monday.

The school will provide after-school services for students from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, and will provide care service for students from 5:30 pm to 6 pm.

In the new semester, "parents not only need to report students' temperature every day, but students' sleeping time and the time when students finish their homework will also be reported," Zhang said, noting that the main purpose of this is to improve the effectiveness of their learning. Also, a half an hour afternoon nap will be promoted in school, along with some exercise classes, to ensure students remain physically healthy.