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(ECNS) –- China's Minister of Education announced several measures to enhance physical education among students at a conference Monday and provided a blueprint for promoting soccer among young people.
Minister Yuan Guiren stressed the importance of physical education and asked schools to make sure that their students receive the mandated amount of time for physical education. "No school can drop PE classes for any excuse or reason," he said.
One more PE class will be added for primary school students in grade three to six, who will have four lessons a week, as well as senior high school students, who then will have three.
PE tests should be compulsory for students taking graduation and entrance examinations, Yuan said, adding that health conditions and athletic talent will become part of students' files.
Heads of local education ministries and schools will be held accountable for drops in students' physical condition for three consecutive years.
Soccer will be highlighted in PE education. Yuan said the ministry plans to expand schools featuring soccer education from 5,000 to 20,000 in the next three years and establish soccer leagues at primary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools and universities.
Similar measures will be applied to promoting basketball and volleyball education.
The planet's most populous nation is struggling with the national soccer team's poor performance and domestic league's scandals.
"Only by getting a large majority of young people involved in soccer can China's soccer catch up with international soccer powers in the future," said a commentator who has been covering Chinese soccer since the top domestic league was established some 20 years ago.
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