New China school system rewards diligent pupils with ‘digital pets’ to motivate them

Chinese secondary schoolteachers have introduced a new way of motivating pupils by awarding them “digital pets” that they can adopt online. The move has gained widespread attention and support. Recently, primary and secondary schoolteachers across China introduced an innovative “class pet-raising programme” in which pupils earn points for good behaviour to “feed” and nurture virtual pets. At the start of the new school semester, Liu Qianqian, a class head teacher at Hangzhou Shenglan Middle...

By Yating Yang