With the summer vacation coming to an end, online forums offering homework services are sprouting up like mushrooms after spring rain, as primary and middle school students pay up to 100 yuan to hire people to do their homework for them.
Typing "summer holiday homework service" in an online forum results in more than 100 messages. Some of which advertise professional homework services at a cheap price, quality guaranteed.
One homework service provider claimed to be a science major at a renowned university in Beijing when contacted by METRO posing as a buyer through QQ, a popular Chinese instant messaging tool.
She said she started writing homework for others one year ago.
Every day at least two to three students contact her through QQ to seek help.
It made her good pocket money she said, but she refused to reveal the amount.
"Primary school students' homework is a piece of cake for me. It takes me one day to finish one subject," she said.
Her price list includes: Composition for primary school students at 10 yuan per piece, 15 yuan for a middle school composition (up to 600 words) and 18 yuan for a high school one (up to 800 words).
Payment has to be made in advance through Alipay, a third-party online payment company or account transfer.
In return, the homework will be delivered to the address provided.
"If students pay more than 50 yuan we exempt the delivery fee."
Liu Haofeng, 13, a second-year student from Jingshan Middle School, said besides three books of homework, English, Mathematics and Chinese, he had to read 10 books and write his reviews as well as write two essays of more than 800 words.
"I always thought about my homework on a trip to the US during the vacation," he said.
"I wish I didn't have any homework to do just like US students," he added.
Educators believe that homework services encourage laziness and dishonesty among students and say online forums providing this service should be immediately prohibited.
Pan Xiaona, a teacher at Luhe Middle School in Tongzhou district, said that not only should the messages be banned, but people who provide such homework services should be punished.
She said if students believe the homework is too much, they can talk to their parents or teachers rather than cheating. "After all, the homework isn't for teachers, but for students to enhance their studying ability," she said.
(Source: China Daily)- 2010-08-25