Students at a school in Huai'an, Jiangsu province work on a farm. [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]

A number of schools in Huai'an, East China's Jiangsu province have held various labor education activities to help students achieve holistic development.

The move is in accordance with a curriculum guideline issued by the Ministry of Education which states that primary and middle schools should hold at least one labor class every week starting from the fall semester this year. Classes can be about topics such as clean-out, cooking, farming and voluntary services.

The Zhou Enlai Red Army Primary School in Huai'an has created a 400-square-meter plantation that students take turns to care for. More than 20 types of vegetables can be harvested from the garden every year.

Labor classes are expected to teach students life skills and independence, said Wang Lu, a parent in Huai'an.

The principal of the Huai'an Zhou Enlai Red Army Primary School Education Group Guan Xiaorong, who is also a deputy to the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress, said schools should employ teachers with academic background in labor education. More support from social sectors is also needed.

The Huai'an Industrial Park Experimental School has been conducting labor education at its 20-mu (1.33-hectare) farm since 2019. Students are required to undertake physical labor for at least half an hour every day.

Ding Zhihao, a student at the school, said he has learned much about tomatoes and now knows when to water the plant and apply pesticides.

The school has also worked with companies in the industrial park to organize visits to factories, said Zhang Zhu, an official at the experimental school.