Because of the potential cost of a lawsuit if primary and secondary students are injured playing sports in school, 80 percent of schools in Shanghai have acquired sports insurance policies.
In a press conference on Monday, Shanghai's Education Commission said the new insurance scheme aims to provide schools with more confidence to hold vigorous or competitive athletic events without fear of being sued by parents.
Under the policy of promoting physical exercise and sporting activities among pupils, all students are required to take part in at least one hour of physical activity daily, explained Ding Li, the commission's director of sport, health and arts department. But he added that the current insurance system lacks enough cover for enhanced sports curriculum.
Despite being aware that sports helps in a child's physical development, when children are injured, parents blame the school and teachers. Some even file lawsuits, this results in PE teachers and school officials being reluctant to allow very physical or competitive activities, said Ding Guoping, vice principal of Guohe Primary School.
It is a chicken-and-egg situation, said Fu Dingsheng, researcher at East China Normal School. Fu explained, "If children are not allowed to play sports or take part in strenuous activities they miss out on the chance to develop a good sense of balance and manual dexterity, and that makes them vulnerable."
Fu continued, "When children are physically vulnerable they are far more likely to get hurt."
In the US, as students enter draft, more schools are willing to pay premiums especially for loss-of-value insurance. Keith Lerner, who wrote the policy for Miami tailback Willis McGahee - who tore ligaments in one knee when the Hurricanes lost to Ohio State on Jan. 3, 2003 - will visit schools to tackle insurance options for players entering a draft-eligible year, reported Campusrush.