Only 17 percent of those taking the senior high school entrance exams passed their physical test, according to Beijing Education Examinations Authority. Poor vision was the main reason for the large number of failures. However, the vision of students from the suburbs was much better, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The results of the students' physical examinations, apart from being surprising, deserve due attention in order to help prevent students ruining their eyesight.

First of all, children should be taught to protect their eyes by cultivating good reading and writing habits. However, the popularity of the television and the Internet mean teenagers spend a long time staring at their computer and cellphone screens. Hence, it requires frequent supervision from parents to help them foster eye-friendly habits.

The result should also prompt us to note the heavy homework burden of middle and primary school students. It is high time schools alleviated this burden on children so that they have more time to spend on activities that are conducive to their health. It is worth studying why students in suburban Beijing have better vision than their inner city counterparts.

Children need to know that a pair of glasses does not equal knowledge and they should cultivate habits to protect their vision. This will require efforts from all parties to come up with effective eye-care campaigns.

(China Daily 10/30/2013 page9)