Shanghai's primary and secondary schools began to reduce class hours and introduce more exercise when the new semester started on Monday, hoping that students will get more sleep and improve their health.

Some schools in Shanghai's Hongkou District axed a morning study session and advanced the time students are expected to arrive at school from 7:30 to 8:00. Morning classes will begin at 8:20, 10 minutes later than last semester.

In the Luwan District First Central Primary School, students are required to arrive no later than 8:30 and do at least 15 minutes of exercise before classes begin at 8:45.

"Morning exercises are vital because it gives students a boost for the whole day," said Wu Rongjin, a teacher from the school.

Chinese schools are famous for their intense and long days which have led to a decline in the health of young students.

A study completed by China Youth and Children Research Center in 2005, showed more than two thirds of the primary and secondary schools students were not getting enough sleep and 20 percent of them slept poorly. The survey contacted 2,500 students in six major cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

In Shanghai, the rate of obesity among students is higher than the national average and the city has the highest percentage of students with bad eyesight, according to a recent Shanghai Education Commission report.

This year the commission is requiring all primary and secondary schools to ensure students have at least an hour of sports a day.

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2007)