Improving lighting in classrooms

SHANGHAI’S first authentication certificate on eye-healthy classroom lighting was issued yesterday.

Data from the World Health Organization indicates that more than 70 percent of senior high school and university students in China are short-sighted, and the figure is nearly 40 percent among primary school students.

These percentages are the highest in the world, and about 600 million Chinese are short-sighted, almost half the population, according to the report.

Poor classroom lighting is one of the major causes of declining eyesight among students, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Certification standards for classroom lighting have long been non-existent, according to the Shanghai Institute of Quality Inspection and Technical Research, a national institute which issues authentication certificates.

“Most lighting products have been tested based on China’s lighting quality indexes before they are applied at classrooms,” said Yu Yimin, director of the National Lighting Test Center (Shanghai) affiliated with the institute. But Yu says the quality of lighting products will fade over time.

To correct this and other lighting issues, the institute’s new standard is based on research of classroom layout, architecture facade materials, lights and their installation position. The first certificate went to the Shanghai Cangao Education Equipment Co.