A Chinese city has banned high school students from tearing up their textbooks or yelling in hallways to cope with exam pressure. The ban comes just week before the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) or Gaokao examination.

Every year millions of high school Chinese students take the NCEE, which is a mandatory exam for getting admission in higher education institutions in China. The exam, which lasts for nearly nine hours. is spread across over two days and is treated as a make-or-break exam by millions of Chinese students.  

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The pressure to crack the exam is so high that over the years some students have resorted to unconventional practices like tearing up textbooks in school compound or yelling in hallways. These practices allegedly help students to relieve exam pressure.

The fresh ban imposed by the Xiamen Education Bureau seeks to end such unconventional practices among Chinese students. In an online post, officials from Xiamen Bureau called for more 'healthy ways' to cope with exam pressure.

Over the years, the NCEE has been criticized for developing unhealthy competition among students. Critics say this unhealthy competition has paved the way for unrealistic stress and even suicidal thoughts among Chinese students. Reports of Chinese students desperately resorting to cheating and unethical practices to pass the exam has also frequently emerged in the media.

To relive students from pressure, critics often cite the example of many Chinese celebrities who have flanked the NCEE exam but still made it big in their life. The most cited example is Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba. Jack Ma appeared for NCEE twice and is said to have failed in both attempts.

Tagschina, Gaokao Exam, National Higher Education Entrance Examination, NCEE Exam China