Circular Issued on Leisure Facilities for SchoolchildrenThe general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council have issued a circular on strengthening the building and management of facilities for schoolchildren to pass their spare time outside school hours.China has 240 million schoolchildren, but the existing spare-time facilities are far short of meeting their needs in terms of quantity, layout and scale, according to the circular. It urges relevant government departments at all levels to conduct an overall examination of the existing sites to find any problems and deal with them in time. Financial departments at all levels should provide necessary assistance for the purpose, it adds. Various kinds of museums and exhibition halls should be open to young students free of charge or at half price. Meanwhile, all kinds of public and recreational facilities should extend their opening hours for schoolchildren, the circular says. In addition, schools should try to enrich students' campus life by opening up teaching facilities like labs and computer rooms during their leisure hours, it says. It urges government departments concerned to help create an awareness of patriotism among young students, and enforce relevant laws to protect their rights and interests. Non-profiteering facilities for students should be granted favorable taxation treatment, it says. It also calls on non-governmental groups to join hands with the government to launch recreational and educational activities of various kinds for the students. Finally, the circular announces the setting up of a "national joint conference on the spare-time education of young students." |
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