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Fitness syllabus

Photo: AP

All work and no play: Makes him a fat boy.

Dance classes soon will be mandatory for Chinese elementary and secondary students because of worries about increased obesity, The China Daily reported recently. The newspaper said that the dance classes — “to suit the physical and psychological characteristics of students at all ages” — will become compulsory from September 1. The dances will be performed during class breaks or during extracurricular time. The newspaper cited recent reports that said heavy loads of schoolwork had cut into the amount of physical activity students perform and that “obesity has been on the rise”. Last month, the official Xinhua News Agency reported that besides good grades, students also would have to prove their physical fitness to earn a place in a Chinese university under a ministry proposal.

SUBAJAYANTHI WILSON

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