Pupil seeks online homework service with lucky money  

小學生預支500元壓歲錢網購“代寫作業”

“要不是兒子要我提前預支壓歲錢，我還不知道現在竟然存在這種交易。”昨日，家住步行街的孔女士說，上五年級的兒子小杰前幾日要她預支500元壓歲錢。她再三詢問原因后得知，兒子打算在網上購買代寫寒假作業的服務。這讓孔女士很難接受。然而，讓她更不敢相信的是，這種代寫業務在網上很受追捧。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- A woman in Changsha, Hunan province, has caught her fifth-grade son spending 500 yuan (about 80 US dollars) for an online service that will do his winter-holiday homework for him, according to Voc.com.cn.

The mother surnamed Kong said she was disappointed in her son, and shocked that the service was so successful.

Numerous ads for businesses that do homework for students could be found online. One shop owner said they could also guarantee that the handwriting style would match each client.

Ghostwriting three exercise books for a fifth-grade student costs about 120 yuan, she added. "But the exact charge will depend on factors such as the complexity of the assignment."

The owner also reminded her customers to buy the service in advance, saying "the fees will increase if customers buy the service at the end of the holiday."

Winter holiday for students starts around the middle of January and lasts about a month.

"We parents definitely won't allow children to buy the service," said Kong.

Another parent surnamed Hao said the service should be forbidden, and that service providers should be punished.

A middle-school teacher surnamed Gao said winter holiday homework is assigned to help students review what they have learned. "Ghostwriting is cheating, and some students lack the will for independent study."

But another teacher surnamed Xue had a different opinion: "It's a reflection of students suffering from too much holiday homework."

"Ghostwriting, of course, should be forbidden, but other measures to help students develop should also be explored," Xue added.