Students needed to help

Source: Xinhua  |   2009-2-9  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

BEIJING is encouraging volunteering among the city's 1.78 million students to increase their awareness of charity work and encourage dedication to society.

The volunteer experience could also help for a reference when enrolling into academic institutions, the Beijing Youth Daily quoted local education authorities as saying.

The Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee, which formed the guidelines, asked primary and middle schools to make volunteering part of the curriculum.

Wang Jingmei, vice principal of Jingshan School, said sending students to communities to help those in need would broaden their vision and strengthen their sense of social responsibility.

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League said more than 5 million volunteers helped with relief work after the Sichuan-centered earthquake and about 1.7 million people helped during the Olympics.