Computer and the Internet are becoming an efficient channel to help the elderly in China to arm themselves with the modern knowledge.

The aged people here usually find it interesting to know about some information via the Internet and it is easier for them to contact with others, said Lu Xuezheng, president of the Tianjing University of the Elderly, in north China.

The university recently established a website www.tjlndx.com for senior citizens.

Lu said that the training programs via the Internet are very hot among them and some will surf the Internet for more than one hour each day.

They will not be satisfied with traditional way of education any longer and they want seek something that is new and more valuable, said Lu.

However, the Internet-based study model for the elderly is still a new topic for the education system and a lot of further research needs to be done. Lu has also advised his faculty members to prevent their aged students from indulging themselves in the Internet and sitting too long in front of the screen.

China encourages senior citizens to spend more time on study and get themselves adapted to the changing society. The first university for the elderly was founded in 1983 in east China's Shandong province. Now there are over 1,700 such institutions throughout the country.

China now has 88.11 million persons in the age group of 65 and over, accounting for 6.96 percent of the total population, according to the fifth national census carried out in 2000.

(People’s Daily December 26, 2001 )