School mats suggest supervision loopholes

AFTER PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS in East China's Jiangsu province reportedly developed nosebleeds, allergies and sore throats, fingers were pointed at the plastic matting in the playground. The provincial education authorities have urged all schools using the safety matting to cooperate with an investigation being conducted by the relevant authorities. Comments:

Such safety matting is supposed to pass strict tests before being installed in schools. Sadly, there are still no national standards for such tests. Since the introduction of national standards will not help alleviate parents' concerns about the matting being used at present, the investigation needs to be conducted as swiftly as possible to either set the minds of students and their parents at rest or else replace the matting used in schools.

Daily Sunshine, Oct 14