Chinese legislators are planning a bill calling for the introduction of courses on law into primary and middle schools to curb rising juvenile delinquency across the country.
Shang Xiuyun, a senior judge in Beijing and a deputy to China's top legislature, said she and dozens of other deputies are preparing the bill to increase legal awareness among about 200 million primary and middle school students in China.
Shang, a judge of the No. 2 Court of Haidian District, said juvenile delinquency has been on the rise in recent years with violence involving a growing number of students of 14 and 16 years old.
She said a lack of legal knowledge is a primary reason for the problem on the part of offenders.
"Children should be educated on legal responsibilities they should have," she said."They should be able to tell from a very young age what's wrong and what's right."
At present, only the political science textbook for second-year junior school students contains some law-related knowledge, and it is usually neglected by both teachers and students.
About 30,000 primary and middle school students are charged each year with various offenses, according to statistics from judicial departments.
She also plans to submit a proposal to the session calling for measures to be taken to maintain a healthy environment around schools and build more recreational facilities for students.
The key to containing juvenile delinquency is prevention and reduction of crimes, not punishment, said the judge.
(People's Daily 03/07/2001)
