2 departments unite to increase development of physical education in schools

The General Administration of Sports of China and the Ministry of Education will collaborate to boost the development of physical education and improve the health of students at all levels, sports and education officials said on Sept 22.

The two departments will work together to organize events for students, deepen the reform of sports schools and build high-level teams at colleges and universities to select and cultivate sports talent for China, Li Jianming, deputy director of the General Administration of Sports of China, said at a news conference in Beijing.

For example, the Youth Games of the People's Republic of China, which has been held every four years since 2015, and the National Student Games, a triennial event featuring competitions among middle school and college students, will be merged, he added.

Wang Dengfeng, director of the Ministry of Education's physical, health and arts education department, said there used to be a lot of sports events for children and young adults.

"What the two departments are doing now is joining hands to design sports events for the student group, select talented people through the events and allow those selected to join high-level sports teams at colleges and universities to receive training offered by the two departments and participate in professional competitions," he said. "Therefore, a complete system for nurturing sports talent at schools will be formed."

President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of health. He noted that children and young adults should pay special attention to physical exercise and that families, schools and society should create conditions for them to improve their health.

Li said the health of students in China has improved in recent years, and physical education at school has played a significant role in that process.

But the situation could be better if resources from the sports administration and the education ministry could be integrated and made full use of, he added.

To make it happen, the two departments released a document on Monday outlining 37 measures, reaffirming the idea of "health comes first" and vowing to further the development of physical education and students' health in China.

Apart from the measures mentioned above by Li, the document also noted that the establishment of youth sports clubs will be encouraged, and there will be preferential policies in terms of taxes and ventures. Additionally, a system allowing former outstanding athletes and sports instructors to work at schools as physical education teachers will be set up.

Wang, from the education ministry, said the two departments' cooperation will be meaningful in at least two aspects: it will make the value of sports more obvious in school education, and it will nurture more talent for China.