BEIJING - Parents in China are concerned that new rules making dancing classes compulsory at school will lead to extra fees and heighten the risk of puppy love blossoming between their children, media reports said on Friday.

An Education Ministry notice this week said seven sets of dance steps had been designed for schoolchildren of different ages to perform during class breaks or extra-curricular time.

The new programme, released in the wake of media reports about rising obesity and declining physical activity among the country's schoolchildren, had alarmed some parents, the Beijing Morning Post said, citing a report in the Shenzhen Evening News.

"Middle and primary school students mature early these days and children can easily develop curious feelings," the paper quoted a woman surnamed Wang, who fretted for her newly adolescent daughter, Xiao Meng.

"Male and female students cuddling each other every day could easily lead to issues with them developing feelings," Wang said.

"Schools adding exercises is a good thing, but the waltz is not necessary."

The programme's uniformity had also wrong-footed some parents who said schools should offer a mix of exercises to cater to different tastes and backgrounds, including martial arts and swimming, a woman surnamed Zhao suggested.

"Activities like cock-fighting and sandbag-tossing could be suitable for economically undeveloped regions," the paper quoted Zhao as saying. She said she had a son learning taekwondo who would "definitely not want to dance".