Study is seen as important throughout Taiwanese society, but Pingshi Junior High School has taken the concept one step further by requiring that the TVs in students' homes be turned off for the week before to all sectional exams.
The tiny school in Pingshi (
Principal Lee Ling-hui (李玲惠) said that teachers work out an agreement with parents at PTA meetings held at the beginning of each semester. The penalty for violating the rule is that the parents or guardians in the offending household must do chores at the school the next day.
The teachers and parents decided to implement the ban after finding that students were distracted by the TV, even if they weren't watching it.
Lee said she appreciated the parents for cooperating and the teachers' dedication -- with some teachers even sacrificing their own days off to pay visits to the homes of their students to better understand the situation.
She noted that even grandmothers and grandfathers have been commendably cooperative -- with many visiting their neighbors who have no children at the school whenever they want to watch television.
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