Students of Yunnan University of Finance and Economic get together after attending a First-schoolday opening ceremony, Sept. 1, 2017. (Photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- A university in Southwest China's Yunnan Province has demanded its freshmen and sophomore students to run 120 kilometers a semester and learn how to swim as part of sports requirements.
The Yunnan University of Finance and Economic in the provincial capital Kunming held its opening ceremony on Sept. 1 when Sports Director Zhu Haiying announced the new requirements to over 4,000 first-year students.
An app will monitor and record student exercise data. To satisfy the requirement, students need to run 30 kilometers between 6.30 am to 7.30 am at least 30 times in a semester. Otherwise students will fail in the course and must retake it.
Zhu said the purpose is to enhance awareness of health and the importance of physical exercise among students.
He also said physical fitness among Chinese adolescents has declined for 30 years in a row and universities need to address the issue through effective measures. The university is the first in Yunnan Province to monitor student exercise through a running app.
Students are also required to learn to swim, or retake the course if they do not pass.
"We want to have students exercise through a series of activities and make working out a habit, " said Zhu.
Zhou Yong, who accompanied his child to attend the ceremony, said he believed the university's rigid fitness requirement can only bring benefits to student health.
