Since May, multiple regions in Guangdong have successively released the school calendars for the 2026-2027 academic year for ordinary primary and secondary schools, with the start date for senior high school students adjusted from the previous August 1st to September 1st. This change quickly became a focal point of public attention.

On May 26th, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education responded to this matter on the "Guangdong People's Voice Hotline."

According to the WeChat official account "Guangzhou Daily," Li Biliang, a member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Party Committee for Education and a member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Education, stated that before introducing this policy, Guangdong spent about a year and a half conducting extensive research and also sought opinions from relevant departments of the Ministry of Education, while also compiling the current situations of more than 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country. Based on existing policies, research, and comprehensive opinions from principals, teachers, and parents of students, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education made this decision with great care.

Zhao Qi, the director of the Basic Education and Informatization Department of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, added that currently, about 20 provinces in China start the senior high school year on September 1, especially developed provinces like Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Additionally, provinces such as Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi have delegated this decision to local cities. "But for Guangdong, the provincial level should take up this responsibility because the college entrance examination is held at a unified time, and it cannot be decided by individual cities," Zhao Qi said. "What ultimately led us to make this decision was the release of the national high school curriculum plan at the end of last year, which clearly specified the teaching schedule for senior high school students, so we also found a solid basis."

The news outlet The Paper noticed that previously, a netizen in Dongguan, Guangdong, had proposed through the local "Sunshine Hotline for Government Affairs Platform" to restore the senior high school year's start date to August 1. This netizen believed that compressing the teaching schedule would mean students would have less time for systematic review before the college entrance examination.

official reply stated that, according to the "Notice on Formulating the School Calendar for Ordinary Primary and Secondary Schools in the 2026-2027 School Year" by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education and relevant meeting requirements, the start date for senior grade three across the province will be uniformly adjusted from August 1st to September 1st, aligning with other grades. The adjustment of the start date strictly adheres to national and provincial policies and regulations, being a necessary requirement for standardizing school operations, curbing "educational involution," and implementing the "health first" educational philosophy, as well as an objective need to follow educational principles to promote students' comprehensive development. Educational authorities will urge and guide senior high schools to strictly adhere to the new school calendar and curriculum plan, scientifically adjust the teaching schedule for senior grade three, optimize preparation rhythms, refine measures such as tiered tutoring, online Q&A sessions, and learning situation monitoring, and fully ensure the smooth and orderly progress of senior grade three preparation work, guaranteeing that preparation quality is not compromised. They will work hand in hand with parents and society to safeguard students' college entrance exams.