As the deep winter and the new year draw near, China's Education Ministry published guidelines for primary and middle schools across the country to enhance security for students. Two major concerns have been addressed. One is for schools to adjust opening times if there is sudden extreme weather, and the other forbids schools from making up for missed lessons during the vacations.
 
The People's Daily says that the Education Ministry has banned classes during vacations because of new concerns. The ministry has issued similar warnings in previous years, but mainly to reduce the education burden of students. In recent years, however, making up classes during vacations has caused many safety problems. For instance, some schools asked students to attend classes during the big snow storm at the beginning of the year. Some students even died due to poisonous gases emanating from poor heating systems during winter classes.
 
Although the warning is firm, the paper says the measures may not be implemented. For most schools, the most important thing is their pass rate. They place more importance on how many students go to famous high schools and renowned universities. Therefore, they take up students' leisure time to make up for classes during vacations. The same is true for students and parents, who often take credits and degrees as a priority, not safety.
 
The paper goes on to say that the conflicts between the exam-oriented system and security concerns could only be solved with joint efforts from society. Education should be centered on people, but not on credits and school pass rates.

Meanwhile, the paper also suggests government departments take preventive measures to ensure the smooth implementation of such warnings.