China’s innovative ‘happy schools’ popular with parents leaving the academically demanding mainstream education sector

When Zhang Fen visited the aptly named Happy School with her son Tian Tian, a Primary Two student, she thought: “This is the school for us.” The students spent less time studying, but they seemed happier and had more freedom at the alternative-style school.

As China seeks to rein in its hyper-competitive education system with bans on private after-school tutoring and more emphasis on physical activity, alternative schools that prioritise individual achievement and happiness over exams and test scores are flourishing.