Recently, big cities like Beijing and Shanghai have begun to offer Summer Camp services on campus to primary school students. Students will be provided with libraries and reading rooms, and besides, they can also participate in organized sports and art activities, but they will not be forced to have academic classes. The summer camp service charges little to nothing, and students from families with financial difficulties need not pay any fee. While it's widely applauded by parents, the problem now is how to operate this new program in a way that satisfies both pupils, parents and teachers, and how to make it financially feasible.

Zhong Chao (Guangming Daily): Usually, pupils will be sent to commercial tutoring institutions during long vacations, as their parents are worried about them staying at home alone. But these commercial agencies tend to charge high fees and also, not all pupils have access to such services. Besides, safety in these institutions can be worrisome. Only a small number of companies and organizations are financially capable or willing to help with this issue. Thus, for years, the absence of daycare services has been a big headache for parents of primary school students.

Of course, this school-run summer camp service will cost teachers a lot of time and energy. After all, teachers have their own families and children to take care of. Thus, it might be a good idea to recruit college students as volunteers, particularly students from teaching colleges. By doing so, pupils are taken care of in the daytime, college students can accumulate experience and also make some money. Anyway, the service is by large very helpful to children and their parents, and should be encouraged.

Xiong Bingqi (www.163.com): Such a service needs a lot of teachers, either from the pupils' own schools or other schools, or both. As far as teachers are concerned, if they work overtime in their vacations, they deserve extra pay.

Meanwhile, to open campuses to pupils requires some financial outlay. Parents may be willing to pay some money, but if the charge is too high, they may shy away from the service.

Nowadays, parents send their children to cramming classes in the summer holiday because they have no other choice, as they have their own work to do and can't stay at home with their children. If daycare service is provided by schools, or communities, I'm sure people would take advantage of it.

However, if the school summer camp service is just watching over pupils so that they will do homework and avoid safety risks caused by being home alone, without any helpful activities, parents may feel reluctant to join the program. Most of them hope that their children will learn something useful during the summer holiday, and not idle it away.

As for how to finance the service, it should be covered by local governments' budget. If not, not too many parents will be interested in the service, and in that case, it will not go too far.

Hou Daming (m.ganzitv.com): There is worry that the service will become another kind of cramming class. Thus, innovation is very important in terms of the programs launched. In Shanghai, the service covers a lot of areas to broaden pupils' vision. In some other cities, students are arranged to take sports and art activities, learn science and do labor work, and they can also do homework and read extracurricular books.

The summer camp of primary schools must be a lasting program, and should be extended to more cities across the country. Cities and schools should be encouraged to learn from each other to improve their service. Of course, parents' involvement can't be omitted, as the final success of this program relies on parents' support. Education authorities should seek advice and suggestions from all involved, so that the service can keep improving and attract more children.

Copyedited by Ryan Perkins

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