The parents are standing in front of the primary school.[Photo/Agencies]

In response to the concerns about the plastic running tracks in schools across the country, several provinces have introduced new safety standards for the materials used in such tracks.

As a result of the higher standards, the cost of these running tracks will reportedly be 30-40 percent higher than those under the old standards.

However, the extra cost will be worth it if school running tracks are prevented from harming the health of students.

There are concerns that the higher production costs stemming from the stricter standards could prompt some manufacturers to use cheaper materials so that they can maintain their profits. So strict monitoring of the materials used for running tracks is essential as the materials and the chemicals used may change over time.

Actually strict quality standards for plastic running tracks had already been introduced by the government prior to the health scares that have emerged in recent years. However, some schools failed to strictly implement these standards in their procurement and installation of their plastic playgrounds and running tracks.

Some schools did not conduct an open bid before they procured their running tracks and even directly designated a material supplier themselves. In some cases, the materials used for these running tracks are not the same as the samples sent to relevant authorities for quality testing.

Thus there needs to be strict government supervision of schools' procurement processes.

If, after new standards are introduced, the supervision remains as loose as it has been in the past, there will probably be more health scares involving school running tracks.--China Youth Daily