A charity program that aims to cultivate physical education for young children was launched last week in Chengdu. The organizers hope it can help promote ahealthy development for kids.

Dubbed “Thousands of kindergartens in hundreds of cities,” the program – initiated by the China Sports Foundation (CSF), an affiliate of the General Administration of Sport – aims at improving the quality of PE teachers in kindergartens. 

A fitness testing system will also be introduced to the kindergartens, which will help the educators have a better understanding of the kids’ physical capabilities. 

Wu Qi, the director-general of CSF, emphasized that the safety of kids is the priority of the program’s physical education activities. 

Last year, a report jointly issued by Peking University and UN children agency UNICEF said it is highly likely that 6 percent of the kindergarten-age kids in China will be overweight by the year of 2030, if their physical education is ignored.

With the popularization of digital products, the percentage of Chinese kids who are troubled by short sightedness is also increasing.

About 95 percent of the PE teachers for kindergarten students did not receive any professional training. 

Organizers also said remote areas will be a priority target of the program, as the kids there may have more urgent needs.