China Life, an insurance company in China, organized a contest that aimed to promote security and safety on campuses in the country.
Chinese Foundation for Teacher Development Chaiman Zhang Zhongyuan said that the contest was organized at a time when accidents on campuses have caught the attention of people across the country, China.org.cn reported.
The idea of organizing the contest was inspired by the over 20 campus accidents reported since the autumn semester this year.
According to Zhang, the contest was launched "in the hopes of raising teachers' and students' awareness of campus security, and meanwhile, to find better ways of protecting teachers and students from any possible danger."
Started on Oct. 16, Thursday in Beijing, the contest will last until May 2015.
Aside from academic paper contests that focus on campus security and safety, the contest will also include teaching the said topic in the campuses.
Those who are allowed to participate in the contest include teachers and students of all grades, people who are in charge of keeping the campus safe and secure, and anyone who has concern about security and safety in Chinese universities.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party has tightened its control over Chinese universities, with the reaffirmed leading role of the party secretary in them, the South China Morning Post reported.
On Oct. 17, Friday, a directive that asked higher education entities to unify under the party leadership was released by the General Office of the Communist Party of China, which is directly under the Central Committee.
As the directive stated, all departments at universities across China shall "conscientiously" make implementations that "adhere to the party's leading core position" after the fourth plenary session of the 17th CPC Central Committee in the coming week.
In September, the party committee at one of China's elite educational institutions, Peking University, asked professors and students to "fight against speech and actions" that speak ill of the Communist Party.