From the Readers

Smoking-free life possible

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-28 08:06

Comment on "Teachers told to exercise decorum in the classroom" (China Daily, Sept 17)

The Nanjing education bureau has issued guidelines on the clothes and makeup teachers can wear to school, and how they should stand in class.

Wouldn't it be nice if the education bureau put as much effort into issuing instructions to schools to enforce the July ruling of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health that smoking was prohibited in schools ("China makes further push for tobacco-free schools", China Daily, July 7, 2010).

The question is which is more important: smoking-free or makeup-free schools? Our school in Nanjing hasn't said a word about this ruling. Teachers and workers continue to smoke in our school.

The decision to smoke or not to smoke is one of the most important a young person makes. People usually make that decision in their teens. Teachers should demonstrate that a smoke-free life is possible, otherwise China would lose another generation to the addiction of tobacco.

Perhaps the media could call the Nanjing education bureau and ask for information about the progress of their program to implement the ruling on smoking-free schools.

J. Johnson, via e-mail.

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(China Daily 09/28/2010 page9)