Give recess back to children. There are always more solutions than problems.
2024-08-12
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Text｜Wang Can
Recently, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education stated in its reply to a National People's Congress representative's "Suggestion on Returning the 10 Minutes of Recess to Children" that those who delay classes and prohibit students from leaving the classroom during recess must be held accountable in accordance with the law, and schools are encouraged to set up recess supervision teams to take turns participating in recess supervision and management.
This is eye-opening. It provides a solid institutional guarantee for truly implementing the policy of "giving 10 minutes of break time back to children", and makes people see the policy's determination, sincerity and hope to change the reality.
Around November last year, the idea of "giving the 10 minutes between classes back to children" sparked heated discussions throughout society. Many parents reported that the 10-minute break between classes is now "quiet" on campus, with children not being allowed to leave the classroom or the teaching building, and running and playing are strictly prohibited. Some schools only allow children to go to the toilet and pour water. The "confined" children can only chat, do homework or play "paper games" in their seats.
Everyone knows the importance of letting children walk out of the classroom to run, jump and play during the 10-minute break.After a class of intense, fast-paced learning, a short break can allow children to adjust their brains, relax their bodies and minds, and be in a better state to face the next study. In addition, using the 10 minutes between classes to go out and move around, get some sun, chat and laugh with classmates is also very beneficial for preventing myopia and reducing obesity.
Everyone understands the principle, so why is it so difficult to give children back the 10 minutes between classes?The reason is simple. The biggest consideration for prohibiting students from leaving the classroom is that schools and teachers are worried about students' safety. For the sake of management convenience, they simply "circle" students in the classroom and "tie" them to their seats.
These realities are understandable, but they cannot be used as a reason to sacrifice students' 10 minutes of break time.Because a balanced learning rhythm and social activities are not the privileges of adults, but a necessity for everyone. Playing is the nature of children, and it is their way to grow healthily and understand and explore the world. Ensuring children's right to rest and play takes precedence over the management needs of the school.
In 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Off-campus Training for Students in Compulsory Education", which clearly proposed to follow the laws of education, focus on the healthy physical and mental growth of students, and protect students' right to rest. The "Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Schools" implemented in the same year also clearly stated that schools "shall not impose unnecessary restrictions on students' freedom of speech and behavior such as legitimate communication, games, and out-of-classroom activities during breaks and other non-teaching times." In May this year, the Ministry of Education issued the "Negative List for Standardized Management of Basic Education", which also specifically emphasized that it is strictly forbidden to "squeeze students' 'ten minutes between classes' rest in various ways." In November last year, relevant officials from the Ministry of Education publicly stated that restrictions on break activities on the grounds of "ensuring student safety" should be resolutely corrected.
Among the measures introduced by Zhejiang this time, the focus is on the behaviors of delaying classes and prohibiting children from leaving the classroom during breaks. This has grasped the crux of the difficulty in implementing the policy of "giving the 10 minutes between classes back to children"; by strictly pursuing accountability in accordance with the law and regulations, schools are encouraged to set up break supervision teams to take turns to participate in break supervision and management. This provides a specific and easy-to-operate method, which can force schools and education authorities at all levels to resolutely implement relevant policies, and also give schools reasonable management autonomy. This will put pressure on schools but will not overstep the line, and the scale is just right.
It is worth mentioning that the management of the behaviors of delaying classes and prohibiting students from leaving the classroom during breaks is not a temporary or passing fad. It is based on the special action of "Standardized Management Year" for basic education launched this year.This will more effectively ensure the consistency of the system and the continuity of its effects, so that the policy can truly and permanently benefit every student. According to reports, some districts in Ningbo and Jiaxing have already introduced and implemented more specific measures based on the requirements of the provincial education department. Through various methods such as schools conducting teaching inspections and education authorities entering campuses without prior notice to "listen to classes", they have ensured that the phenomenon of not delaying classes and prohibiting students from leaving the classroom has been completely changed, so that the policy of "giving the 10 minutes between classes back to the children" can be implemented.
Of course, we should also pay attention to some issues. For example, considering that most of the current measures are aimed at schools, in order to avoid "self-supervision" becoming a formality, it is advisable to introduce external forces such as parents to participate in supervision. Fundamentally speaking, it is necessary to strengthen safety education for students, improve the security capabilities of schools during the 10-minute break, and optimize the teacher-student ratio in classes. For occasional campus safety accidents, the handling mechanism should be improved to avoid "unlimited responsibility" of schools, so that schools and teachers can let children walk out of the classroom during the 10-minute break without worrying about it.In short, for the physical and mental health and happy growth of children, there are always more solutions than problems.
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