Wuhan school puts distance between students and myopia

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A primary school has installed new desks and chairs to make sure pupils adopt the correct posture, especially when reading, to avoid eyestrain or the risk of becoming shortsighted, an increasingly common affliction among children.

Zhang Jianmin, headmaster of Zhanglin Primary School in Wuhan, Hubei province, said the new desks and chairs were provided by an eye care center in the city.

Each desk has an adjustable steel bar that can help students keep their eyes at least 30 cm from books.

The school is one of 92 primary and middle schools being monitored by the city's department of education to prevent children from getting eyestrain.

The desks and chairs, 56 sets, were provided to the school in January and were put into use two weeks ago when the new semester began. A class of 42 first-grade students is using them.

The school carried out a survey in September and found that about 7 percent of its 1,093 students said they suffer from a form of myopia, often referred to as being nearsighted. The exact cause of myopia is unknown but it is thought to be the result of genetic and or environmental factors , such as reading in poor light, or being too close from a text.

Most of the parents of the schoolchildren are migrant workers working outside Wuhan. All of the children board at the Xinzhou district school.

Yang Lihua, head of the Wuhan Youth Eyecare Center, said the desks were introduced to 19 schools on a trial basis.

"During our research into myopia, we noticed that the number of pupils reporting symptoms was increasing. This is because parents are teaching their children to read and write at a very early age without paying enough attention to their reading posture."

A Ministry of Education survey in 2010 found that 40.9 percent of primary school students aged between 7 to 12 reported some form of myopia. This figure represented a 9.22-percent increase from 2005.

Feng Junying, a doctor at Beijing Jingshan School, said that during eye tests for second-grade students in 2013, about 33.3 percent were found to suffer from myopia.

"I think the new equipment in Wuhan will certainly be helpful," she said. "But bad reading habits at school are not the only reason for myopia. As far as I know, children are using cell phones and iPads even when they are at kindergarten age, which can be a key factor for myopia at a young age."

Zhang said the new desks have already improved the pupils' posture but she said both teachers and pupils might need more time to get used to them.

Zhang said some pupils found reading with a steel bar in front of them uncomfortable.

Yang, from the eyecare center, said it usually takes at least two months for children at the age of 6, sitting at the desks, to form the correct reading habits.

Questions:

1. Who is the headmaster at Zhanglin Primary School in Wuhan?

2. How many schools are being monitored by the city’s department of education?

3. How long does it take for children at the age of six to form correct reading habits?

Answers:

1. Zhang Jianmin.

2. 92.

3. 2 months.

About the broadcaster:

Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.