China.org.cn | January 10, 2025
Nanfang Metropolis Daily N Video App:
We have noticed that the 10 minute break between classes for compulsory education has been extended to 15 minutes starting this fall semester in some regions. What arrangements will the MOE make in the next phase to promote students' overall health and well-rounded development. Thank you.
Huai Jinpeng:
Thank you for your question. The 10 minute break has become a hot topic. I would like to invite Mr. Wang to answer this question.
Wang Jiayi:
Thank you for your question. I will answer it. Thank you for your attention to such a specific issue as breaks between classes in primary and secondary schools. You have a keen eye.
The healthy growth and well-rounded development of children is of utmost concern to every family, represents a fundamental wish of every parent and is also the warmest heartfelt desire of General Secretary Xi Jinping. The general secretary has reiterated his advocation for the coordinated development of academic learning and physical exercise among Chinese youth. He has also constantly emphasized that students' ideals, convictions, moral qualities, knowledge, intelligence, and physical and mental abilities should all be fostered and that none is dispensable.
Although it may appear to be a specific and small issue that the 10 minute break between classes for students in compulsory education has been extended to 15 minutes, it is also very important. It extends the form and content of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education, reflecting our education's greater focus on students' well-rounded development.
Going forward, we will fully implement the important instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the principles from the National Education Conference, and focus on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, prioritizing students' health and well-rounded development. We will start with building up students' physical and mental health, and further strengthen the overall development of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education, nurturing generations of capable young people who will fully develop socialism and carry forward the socialist cause.
In terms of top-level design, we will refine the systems for nurturing capable young people with sound moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility and work skills. We will make sustained efforts to draw on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge inner strength and inspire our people, and introduce integrated reforms and new approaches in the political education curriculum at all levels, from elementary school to university. We will continue to implement initiatives such as the aesthetic education enrichment program, the program for fostering good work habits, and the youth reading initiative, promoting students' well-rounded development. At the same time, we will further strengthen disciplinary and interdisciplinary practices, and comprehensive social practices, promote the combination of learning and thinking and unity of knowledge and action in students' education, and help them learn how to survive and live, and adapt to the needs of society and future development.
In terms of key sectors and links, we're implementing the "health first" concept through concrete actions. Through student physical fitness programs and mental health promotion initiatives, we ensure primary and secondary school students engage in comprehensive physical activities for no less than two hours daily – one PE class plus an hour of after-school exercise – while cultivating positive psychological qualities. We view extended recess periods as an effective starting point for the implementation of the "health first" concept. The goal is to get children moving, running and being active, especially in the sunlight, where they can run, exercise and breathe fresh air – working up a healthy sweat with bright eyes. Through these various efforts, we aim to address issues like widespread nearsightedness and childhood obesity, helping students become healthier and more energetic.
Regarding institutional support, we're steadily advancing collaborative education among families, schools and society. Students' comprehensive healthy development is a common responsibility for society as a whole, requiring close cooperation between schools, families and society. We will further strengthen this collaborative mechanism through "education consortiums," mobilizing departmental resources and coordinating social forces. This includes strengthening partnerships between the health and education sectors, sports-education integration, home-school interaction, and community education alignment to jointly shoulder the important responsibility for students' well-rounded development and healthy growth.
That concludes my response. Thank you.