Four sets of regulations are being drafted by the Ministry of Education to ensure the security of students: Administrative Measures on Nursery, Primary and Secondary School Safety, Emergency Preplan for School Major Accidents, Safety Management Rules on School Safety, and School Law.

The steps come after a number of tragic accidents in schools, the worst of which left 21 students suffocated and 47 injured in September 2002 after the collapse of a guardrail on a set of stairs.

This year, two schoolgirls were killed and 13 others injured in a stampede at Sunji Junior Middle School on March 11 in Linyi, Shanxi Province.

Nineteen students were injured after a stampede on March 24 in the Second Experimental Primary School in Enshi, Hubei Province.

Two children were killed and 28 injured after their kindergarten collapsed in Henan Province on August 10.

Zhou Ji, minister of education, called on local authorities to improve and enact regulations on safety management in schools at a recent televised meeting.

The principle of first-in-command responsibility should be set up, said Zhou. Headmasters and principals have to take the responsibility for school security. Besides special staff employed for students' safety, it is all teachers' responsibility to educate students on how to protect themselves and to protect students when meeting dangers.

According to Zhou, schools across the country have to strengthen management to find potential dangers. For example, corridors and stairs should be checked frequently. Lights should be checked for damage and replaced timely. Class times should be staggered to prevent overcrowding and ensure safety, and staff without proper qualifications should be removed. 

(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan, November 18, 2004)