Educators are growing concerned about the number of students in China apparently developing a strong distaste for their schoolwork.

In Jinan alone, more than half of school children surveyed said they are not interested in classwork or studying at all, according to a leading child psychiatrist who undertook the research.

The survey indicated 59.3 per cent of 1,667 first-year pupils from two prestigious junior high schools in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong Province, are weary of school work.

"The situation is quite worrying," said Zhai Jing, a psychiatrist with the Shandong provincial mental health care center and also a member of a national child psychiatric committee.

Meanwhile, Zhai said a growing number of students are seeking medical help at her outpatient clinic because of boredom with their studies and trouble with staying interested in attending school.

"The symptom used to be common among primary and secondary school students, but now we're receiving many college students, too," she said.

While some of these students were tired of school because they are timid, unable to socialize, or repeatedly daunted by failing grades. Many excellent students -- some making straight-A grades -- also said they hated their schoolwork, Zhai.

Li Shumei, a primary school teacher in the coastal city of Yantai, agrees with Zhai's findings.

For most of Li's students, reading and studying came last when students were asked what they liked to do: only five of 44 boys and girls in her class said they enjoyed reading and doing school work.

A dozen students listed sports-related activities: football, badminton, martial arts or physical education class at school, as most enjoyable.

Ten students said they would rather sit in front of the computer or TV all day long, another nine said they liked painting, singing, playing musical instruments or working out their own inventions more than anything else.

Besides, 17 of Li's students said they were depressed most of the time and 20 students said they were unhappy from time to time, which is a worrying indicator to psychological experts.

"Intense competition from society and high expectations from teachers and parents have deprived many children of the fun they need," said Zhai Jing.

(China Daily May 13, 2004)