Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School Suspected of Compulsory Plastic Book Cover | There is a long way to go before achieving “green campus”
2019/3/27 11:09:00 本站

As the new semester starts, Chinese Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) have received a letter from a parent whose child studies in Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School of Beijing:

 “Hello, CBCGDF!

 

Teachers of Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School ask pupils to cover textbooks with transparent dust jackets in each semester. Some pupils may even be criticized for not covering textbooks.

 

At present, all the textbook covers of my kid are plastic. I can’t understand why teachers still ask students to cover textbooks when multiple news reports have stressed that unqualified plastic book cover is toxic and health-threatening, causing environment pollution during its production.

 

I hope competent departments could investigate on this issue. Thank you!”

 

Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School, located in the center of Zhongguancun Technology Park and founded in 1949, ranks Beijing’s top ten primary schools.

The textbook has its own cover when it is published. The compulsory requirement made by the school of using plastic book cover is not only against the 19th CPC National Congress' initiative of developing eco-friendly schools also causes environmental pollution. What's more, plastic book cover poses a threat to children's health.

 

There is nothing wrong with pupils and parents to cover textbooks of their own wills, but is it reasonable for a public educational institution, such as Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School, to make a compulsory order? Is it illegal? Don't they know this behavior cause damage to the public environment, especially when students study in the common classroom? Are children exposed to the polluted air due to the toxic plastic book cover? These are the question we should figure them out.

 

The author has walked around the campus of Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School to carry out field study. She found that this so-called national first-class primary school almost has no limitation to plastic products and lacks the awareness of reducing plastic. For example, each classroom is decorated with a row of yellow plastic flowers, and the corridor is also ornamented with plastic flowers.

 

In the era of ecological civilization, we encourage simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon ways of life, and oppose extravagance and excessive consumption. We should develop eco-friendly families, schools, communities, and transport services.

 

Plastic pollution is everywhere, and it has become a great environmental challenge for the globe. United Nations named 2018 as the year of "Beat Plastic Pollution", calling for solving the plastic pollution. Toxic chemicals and nondegradable plastic will pose damage to the land in one hundred years; plastic packages we used will not degrade, and finally, move into the sea. What we can do is to make changes in daily life, easing the burden brought by plastic pollution on the natural environment, wildlife and human health. For educational institutions, there is still a long way to go.

 

Is a plastic book cover a necessary? The author doesn't think so, and just as the parent has said in the letter, "at present, all the textbook covers of my kid are plastic. I can't understand why teachers still ask students to cover textbooks."

 

As a national leading school, Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School seems not to fully understand the new requirement of day-to-day education in the era of new civilization. Compulsory education is the root of teenage development, and headmasters and teachers of the primary school, as the leading force for education, should read the report of 19th CPC National Congress carefully and study theories related to civilization theory.

 

The 19th CPC National Congress specifies the initiative of “eco-friendly schools”, and we should transform this initiative into practice. CBCGDF appeals for eco-friendly school standards and advises to take “reduce plastic” into evaluation criteria.

 

CBCGDF has written to the Ministry of Education and received the reply. The authority department hopes CBCGDF to provide more detailed investigation information, and CBCGDF is preparing on this.

 

Students and parents are welcome to provide evidence (text description, pictures, videos, school notice, Wechat group screenshots about teachers asking to use plastic book covers, and so on) to the email: v1@cbcgdf.org

 

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(Photo credit: CBCGDF)


Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/8055.html


By / Wang Yanqing