Beijing adopts new measures to boost physical education in primary and middle schools

Beijing unveiled new measures on Monday to enhance physical education (PE) in primary and middle schools, introducing increased class hours, expanded sports activities, AI-driven fitness monitoring, and an emphasis on ensuring PE classes are neither reduced nor replaced.

The measures, jointly issued by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, seek to address gaps in school sports programs and enhance students' overall physical fitness and well-being.

As part of the measures, PE class frequency has been expanded, with primary and junior middle school students having one class per day and senior middle school students having three to five classes per week. On days without PE classes, students should participate in at least 45 minutes of physical activity, and each PE session must incorporate a minimum of 10 minutes of fitness training.

Schools should monitor exercise intensity to prevent PE classes from becoming overly theoretical and guarantee full implementation of PE without being reduced or substituted by other subjects.

Primary and middle schools should include at least one of the three major ball sports — basketball, football, or volleyball — as a compulsory part of their PE curriculum, while high schools are required to provide training modules for these sports, according to the measures.

Schools are encouraged to organize winter sports activities among students. Schools specializing in winter sports should also include these activities in their PE curriculum and support the development of student clubs for winter sports at the municipal level.

"The release of the measures provides platforms for young students to receive diverse evaluations, while also meeting their individualized skill development needs," Liu Mingyi, chief expert at the China Youth Sports and Physical Education Integration Public Policy Research Center, told the Global Times.

"The measures also create a supportive environment for sports education, nurturing more promising young talents in football, basketball, and winter sports," he added.

The document released by Beijing authorities also requires schools to use breaks and after-school time to facilitate a rotation of at least 10 activities, such as ball games, jump rope, and kicking shuttlecock, ensuring that every student in compulsory education acquires proficiency in at least two sports.

In addition, the document also introduces class-wide competitions with full participation in Beijing's primary and secondary schools. Each semester, at least five class competitions are to be organized in elementary schools, four in junior middle schools, and three in senior middle schools, including at least one of the "three big balls" activities.

The measures also include leveraging digital technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to establish an AI-powered "health coach" system to enhance collaboration between schools and families to promote effective exercise. For students struggling with fitness, schools should create personalized exercise plans to improve their physical health.

Previously, many regions announced extending the 10-minute break between classes to 15 minutes for students, and among them, the education bureau in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, also developed guidelines for physical activities during breaks, tailored to the characteristics and interests of students at different educational stages.