The Beijing Commission of Education released a notice on Monday, requiring that any exam to gain a certificate or any academic competition for primary and middle school students should be cancelled, and that any ranking of schools is forbidden, no matter whether it is organized by organizations or individuals, Beijing Times reported on Tuesday.

The notice was released to further cut down the workload of students in compulsory education, and also reaffirmed that primary and middle school students should be given less homework to ensure they have enough sleep, as mentioned by the commission in another notice in February 2013, according to the report.

The report also said the commission promised to reduce exams that are organized by local education authorities, and the appraisal and selection of excellent students should also be reduced, the commission said.