Welcome move to make kids physically fit

Belgian John Lee plays with children from an early education center in Tianjin on April 5. He can speak Chinese fluently, and is now one of the most popular teachers in the center. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Educational authorities have made physical education a compulsory subject for the high school entrance examination throughout the country, in order to improve children's physical health. The compulsory exam will now comprise Chinese, English mathematics and PE, along with selective subjects. Chinese Business View commented on Tuesday:

Better late than never. Making PE or sports a compulsory subject for the high school entrance exam is a welcome move to make adolescents physically fitter, especially because obesity among Chinese children is on the rise.

According to the 2014 National Physical Fitness Monitoring Report, most of the youth physical indicators in China have shown a downward trend over the past 20 years. Chinese adolescents are less physically active and spend less time on exercise than their counterparts in Japan and the Republic of Korea, because they spend a lot of time and energy on studies and electronic devices.

The inclusion of PE as a subject for the exam is good, but a proper evaluation system has to be worked out.

All children should be encouraged to play sports from a young age, and parents and teachers should educate them about the importance of being physically fit. After all, the idea is to improve children's physical health, not to impose another "subject" on them.