The common problem of myopia(近视) among students has been a big challenge for China to deal with for many years. According to reports, about 35.6 percent of primary school students and nearly 81 percent of senior high school students are nearsighted(近视的) in China.
Considering this background, Wantang Primary School in Yunnan province really stands out. This is because none of the students at this school suffer from myopia. Parents, teachers and eye experts began discussing whether the school's experience can be used to tackle the rising level of myopia across China.
Yang Chenhao is a doctor at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University. He said that while the school is a special case, some of its methods are highly worth learning, such as keeping children away from mobile phones and getting them outdoors more often.
Yang Qingyi is a teacher at the school, which has 536 students. He said that all children are required to go outside during class breaks. "Even for quiet kids, we encourage them to take a walk outside," he said. When the three sports teachers there are busy, teachers of other subjects will work as trainers to teach basketball and table tennis.
"If there is one piece of advice that we can share on achieving zero myopia, I would say large amounts of outdoor activities," said Sun Fubiao, the primary school's headmaster. Sun said that a number of his students' parents are working in other areas, so the school has fixed six public phones while not allowing use of personal mobile phones.
"In teacher-parent WeChat groups, we often remind parents to pay attention to kids' eye health when they are at home for weekends or vacations," he added.
