The plan said all professional psychological counselors and pediatricians involved in psychological consulting are required to have officially authenticated practice permission after going through necessary tests.

The plan also sets a series of standards aimed at promoting Shanghai’s child development program so that children’s health and psychological care can reach the average level in developed countries in 2015.

It is required that knowledge about human physiology during adolescence be taught to all middle school students, the percentage of elementary and middle school students with weak eyesight be reduced to under 40 percent, and the occurrence rate of tooth decay less than 65 percent, according to the plan.

Over the past decade, children in Shanghai enjoyed fast progress in health care, quality education, protection of rights and interests, and an environment for growing-up, which paved the way for the city to fulfill the goals framed in the plan.

Shanghai became one of the first group of “love-baby” cities in the world in 1997 after it passed a joint examination by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.

Many children from Beijing and other major cities are suffering from psychological ailment, according to a report by China Youth Daily in August.

The newspaper cited the latest survey that found that 30 percent of Tianjin’s primary and middle school students suffer a certain degree of psychological ailment, and the situation in Beijing is similar.

(People’s Daily 11/23/2000)