According to data released by the Shenzhen Education Bureau recently, since the implementation of the "one physical education class per day" policy for compulsory education in the city from January 1, 2024, the excellent rate of national student physical health tests for primary and secondary school students in Shenzhen has increased by more than 6%, and the myopia rate has decreased by more than 1%. Behind the trend of 'one rise and one fall', tens of thousands of teenagers have entered the ranks of excellent physical fitness, taking off their glasses. The "one physical education class every day" has been welcomed by students and parents. However, faced with difficulties such as teaching staff and venues, how can Shenzhen provide sufficient and good physical education classes? Can this policy be promoted nationwide? Behind the trend of "one rise and one fall", tens of thousands of children have taken off their "little glasses". According to the national student physical health test data conducted by the Shenzhen Education Bureau on more than 1.96 million primary and secondary school students in the city, the excellent physical health rate of primary and secondary school students in the 2024 academic year reached 66.46%, an increase of 6.21% compared to the 2023 academic year. In addition, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in Shenzhen in 2024 is 55.5%, a decrease of 1.2% compared to 2023. After looking at the data, I am more confident in the implementation of 'one physical education class per day'. One year of practice has proven that we did it right Zheng Xiuyu, Director of the Education Bureau of Shenzhen, said. With a base of nearly 2 million primary and secondary school students in Shenzhen, an increase of 6% in physical health testing rate means that nearly 120000 primary and secondary school students have entered the "excellent" category in terms of physical fitness; A 1.2% decrease in myopia rate means that over 20000 primary and secondary school students can take off their 'little glasses'. How to solve the three major problems of faculty, venue, and course quality? Advancing the "one physical education class per day" policy in such a short period of time will inevitably face many challenges, with teacher and venue issues being the most pressing. If the quality of physical education classes cannot be guaranteed, the effectiveness of the policy will undoubtedly be greatly reduced. ——What if there are not enough physical education teachers? The "one physical education class per day" has increased a large number of class hours, and there is a large shortage of physical education teachers. Shenzhen has launched an emergency recruitment, adding about 2000 physical education teachers to primary and secondary schools within one year, an increase of 25%. At the beginning, there will definitely be some non physical education teachers participating in the teaching of physical education classes. During this transitional period, schools, teachers, parents, and students are all very tolerant Wei Xinhua, Deputy Director of the Sports, Health and Arts Department of Shenzhen Education Bureau, said. ——What should I do if there are insufficient sports venues? Shenzhen Primary School has a history of over 100 years. The school is located in the old city area with limited space, which poses significant challenges in implementing the "one physical education class per day" policy. The space within the school has been exhausted, but it is still not enough. What should we do? Look out! Shenzhen Primary School is located next to People's Park, which has enough space for student activities. However, there is a wall between the park and the school, which allows students to exit from the school gate and enter the park gate in a roundabout manner. This not only wastes time but also poses safety issues. Shenzhen primary school principal Wang Hailin introduced that with communication from the education department, school, and park management department, the fence of People's Park has opened a door for the school, "instantly solving the site problem". ——How to ensure the quality of physical education classes? As a nine-year integrated school, the goal of Shenzhen Longgang Xiantian Foreign Language School is to enable every student to master one to two sports skills by the time they graduate from junior high school through "one physical education class per day". The young age of first and second grade students is not suitable for specialized courses. Starting from third grade, we have developed some specialized courses, including swimming, athletics, tennis, etc. Each program has set rating standards based on students' level of physical activity. By learning a program, children can 'fight monsters and upgrade' along the way, and may become skilled athletes by graduation The school secretary Wu Hongjian said. Can 'one physical education class per day' be promoted nationwide? In the future, can "one physical education class per day" be promoted nationwide and become a "standard" for primary and junior high school students? Absolutely possible, the experience in Shenzhen is to get started no matter what Zheng Xiuyu said. Zheng Xiuyu said that when the policy was introduced at that time, she thought that she would definitely face great difficulties and challenges. "Shenzhen's mission is to lead by example. If this reform is correct, then we must do it and solve problems in the process, rather than backing down when encountering difficulties and problems. Regarding the issue of teaching staff, interviewed experts and scholars believe that the supply of physical education teachers is sufficient, and there are a large number of graduates and retired athletes majoring in sports. The most important thing is to continue to deepen the reform of "integrating sports and education". (New Society)