Children need eye, general health care
A survey shows almost one-third Chinese suffer from myopia, with the percentage being higher among youngsters. But near-sightedness is not the only problem plaguing children. There has been a decline in their general health, too. Hence, schools should take proper measures to arouse students' interest in sports, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpts:
Near-sightedness is a big problem in China. A recent survey shows about 400 million people or almost one-third of the population suffer from myopia. The problem is more severe among youngsters, with almost half of them having fallen victim to near-sightedness.
Unfortunately, myopia is not the only problem youngsters face today. Several surveys show the general health of young people is in decline, with the percentage of obesity and other diseases rising.
Most experts agree that the existing education system is to blame for the problem. Physical education is often neglected in middle schools, because they are dominated by exams. That's why some experts have advised that sports be included as a subject in the national college entrance exam.
The existing rigid physical education system, however, is not suitable for such a task, because it over-emphasizes uniformity and undermines individuality. If we really want to improve our students' health by focusing more on physical education, we have to make students more active in sports.
Adding physical education as a subject to the national college entrance exam alone will not solve the problem. Schools will have to do much more to encourage students to love sports and practice it they way they like. That would not only benefit the students, but also the entire society.
(China Daily 01/08/2010 page9)
