Father in Taiwan tears up overworked son's homework, sends him to bed

We've all burnt the midnight oil at some point during our studies.

But it is rather unusual for a primary school pupil to stay up way past his bedtime just to complete his homework.

A father in Taiwan became enraged after seeing his son struggle to finish copying 22 pages from his textbook. It was a task that the boy couldn't complete unless he kept at it till daybreak.

In a post on Facebook on Oct 11, the man surnamed Lin wrote: "Teacher, I've torn up my son's textbooks and homework. I've sent him to bed. Sorry."

It wasn't the first time Lin or his wife had found their son sprawled over his homework asleep in the early hours of the morning.

In an earlier Facebook post, the man wrote that his child was showing signs that he was dreading school - and the alarming amount of homework may be to blame.

The boy had given up on his favourite outdoor activities just so he could complete his assignments, Lin wrote.

"There is no meaningful learning in copying from the textbook. My child is too young to reject such an assignment, so it is my duty as a father to help him," Lin said.

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He wanted his child to grow up happy, and not be burdened by a heavy school workload.

Lin had approached his son's teacher to discuss the school workload but they were unable to come to an agreement. The boy still had to complete the homework he owed, the teacher said.

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Unhappy with how the school handled the issue, Lin has since transferred his son to another school.

The incident sparked an intense debate online, with some netizens supporting the father's actions while others said that what he had done was too extreme.

He could've communicated his displeasure better with the school, instead of resorting to violent means such as tearing up the textbooks to resolve a problem, some members of the public suggested.

Meanwhile, it may be time to relook at the country's education system, others reflected.

minlee@sph.com.sg