Short-sighted students benefit from sports activities in South China

NANNING, China, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Sport-loved students in Ronghe Primary School in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region find it difficult to choose from over 20 sport clubs provided by the school every Tuesday.

Soccer, basketball, tennis, fencing, taekwondo, sports dancing are all available in the 90-minute after-school program and the school administration find professional teachers for every club.

This is one of the important ways for the students to relieve the stress from class, and in addition, to curb child myopia.

According to the research of Ministry of Education, more than half of the Chinese students are myopia, or short-sighted. These students are 50.2 per cent in 2020, and the number is increasing. The lack of outdoor activities and exercise is one of the contributory factors to child myopia.

"In addition to guarantee four PE classes every week, the school specifically carries out a series of sporting activities to improve the visual health of students, as well as help them actively participate in physical exercise, " said the vice-principal Tang Jining.

Yu Boyang is a sixth grade student, who joins the basketball club. "In class, our eyes are very tired from staring at the screen for a long time. Sports can relieve eyestrain," he said.

"The basketball club is one of the most popular sports clubs at school. Ball games can protect eyes by observing the direction of the ball movement, which is helpful to prevent myopia," said Xie Kun, the school's PE teacher and coach of the basketball club.

Meanwhile, the school designs a set of non-contact eye exercises, which can reduce contact and relieve eyestrain. Besides, the school also organizes other physical activities to make sure all students can participate in.

"We have setting-up exercises during the break in the morning, and physical activities such as rope skipping and running in the afternoon," said Xie Kun.

"Through a series of sports activities, not only child myopia might be curbed, but also students can gain happiness and develop the good habit of doing exercise," said Tang Jining.