New guideline stresses 'health first' in schools

The Ministry of Education has unveiled a new guideline aimed at transforming schools across the country into "healthy schools", with a strong emphasis on physical activity, mental well-being, and nutritional safety.

Released on Friday, the document seeks to embed the "health first" philosophy into the education system, ensuring that student wellness becomes a core component of the campus environment.

The initiative will roll out in three phases. By 2027, the establishment of pilot healthy schools is expected to be completed, setting effective models and evaluation standards. By 2030, the "health first" concept should be widely adopted, with significant improvements in health education covering every school. The ultimate goal, set for 2035, is to have universally established high-quality healthy schools.

All primary and secondary students will be required to engage in at least two hours of comprehensive physical activity daily. Schools are also required to introduce 15-minute breaks.

Beyond physical health, the guidelines emphasize mental health. A national monitoring and early warning system for student psychological issues will be established.

To combat rising myopia rates, prevention efforts will be intensified, particularly in kindergartens and primary schools, focusing on protecting children's "natural far vision reserve" — the buffer that stops them from becoming nearsighted too early — and ensuring ample outdoor time.

Regarding weight management, a specific action plan will target obesity through balanced school meals, home-school collaboration, and the integration of "exercise prescriptions" with dietary guidance.

Food safety is another critical pillar. Schools must strictly enforce management regulations, implement systems where officials share meals with students to ensure quality, and establish parental committees to oversee campus dining.

The guideline also mandates the installation of AEDs, or automated external defibrillators, and the integration of life safety education, including first aid and emergency drills, into the curriculum.

The Ministry of Education held its first work meeting of the Chinese New Year of 2026 on Wednesday, themed "health first", making comprehensive plans on strengthening students' health, according to Chen Xing, spokeswoman for the ministry.

Based on the 2024 national student physical health survey, the overall excellence rate of physical health among students of all levels has increased by 9.3 percentage points since 2016, according to the ministry.

In the battle against myopia, the national student myopia rate has declined for four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024, reaching 50.3 percent in 2024. This meets the target of a 0.5 percentage point annual reduction.

Sun Mingchun, director of the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education at the Ministry of Education, said efforts will be made to ensure that the "health first" philosophy reaches every school and promotes the early establishment of healthy schools among all institutions. The effectiveness of healthy school construction will be incorporated into education supervision and serve as a reference factor in school evaluations and assessments, he said.

Ma Jun, professor at the School of Public Health at Peking University, said: "The core of the guideline lies in shifting schools from a score-first to a health-first approach." Building healthy schools is not only crucial for the holistic development of individual students but also vital for the future of the nation and its people, he said.

Wu Jie, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said that thanks to concerted efforts, by 2025, the detection rate of depression and anxiety tendencies among students in Beijing had dropped by 6.2 percent and 3.4 percent year-on-year, respectively.

One physical education class per day is mandated during compulsory education and three to five classes per week at the high school level, ensuring students engage in at least two hours of comprehensive physical activity daily. In 2025, Beijing hosted a total of 376,000 school league matches, attracting approximately 9.7 million participants, she said.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn