China introduces cooking and cleaning into the school curriculum

China has decided to start giving children in the country compulsory "life skills" lessons, including cooking and personal hygiene, amid fears that the country is producing a generation of exam geniuses who cannot take care of themselves, according to a report by the British newspaper, The Times.

Primary and secondary school students will begin compulsory lessons in September, with a study plan that begins with teaching six-year-olds the basics of cooking and progresses so that children can cook and clean themselves by the time they reach 12 years old.

Other topics to be covered include housework, bathing and basic maintenance of household appliances.

The Ministry of Education said one-hour life skills classes - that is, these compulsory education lessons - will be held every week.

The Chinese school system is under pressure to cut back on academic homework and after-school tutoring.

Chinese students are among the most under pressure in the world.

On average, they spend 8.1 hours in primary school on weekdays and 11 hours per day in high school, according to a 2015 government study

. Chinese children take three hours a day to homework, which is 3.7 times more than their Japanese counterparts and 4.8 times more than students South Koreans, according to a 2017 survey by education company Avanti

, a Beijing-based education expert told the state-run Global Times that education should pay attention to the “personal progress of students.”

"We should use a comprehensive assessment to monitor each student's growth and progress, rather than just focusing on tests," the expert explained.

Under the new curriculum, first and second year students will learn about different types of vegetables, and how to properly pick and wash them, while third and fourth year students will learn how to make cold dishes, steamed buns, and more.

Fifth and sixth graders are expected to learn different cooking methods and be able to prepare two to three dishes.

Students in Years 7 through 9 are expected to design a meal plan.

Students will also learn traditional arts and crafts and community service to contribute to their communities.

Other lessons include separating items to be washed and using appropriate detergents, sweeping classrooms and arranging desks and chairs.

Students will also learn how to recycle properly.

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