Schools to make room for sporting success
WITH the big push to promote sports in schools and get kids healthy, some schools, especially those in downtown areas, have found themselves without enough space.
So, innovation abounds. Some have reached up to the sky, others have dug down into the earth.
The city education commission organized a tour yesterday for district educational authorities to see some of the more successful examples.
Tongji Middle School in Yangpu District has spent 6.75 million yuan (US$990,000) on a roof over a playground that can be opened and closed, so now students can play sports even on the rainiest of days.
The school also has converted two idle classrooms into a taekwondo practice area and a room for physical testing and training.
“Our school is not large and there was limited space for sports, especially on wet days,” said Zhang Xiaoming, principal of the school.
“Now, students can have PE classes and take exercise no matter what the weather.” he said.
In Xiangming High School in Huangpu District, a 200-million-yuan project has turned 4,000 square meters of underground space into courts for basketball and badminton with space for aerobics and table tennis.
The space is used by students from another three nearby schools.
The school also expanded its outdoor sports facilities, making the area more than 6,000 square meters, a quarter of the total school area.
“We had outstanding athletes in basketball and swimming even with poor facilities, but better facilities benefit all the students,” said PE teacher Rui Renjie.