Insurance for school sports suggested

Insurance covering physical education in schools should be introduced, a member of the Guangzhou city committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference has suggested.

When a number of students died after taking part in school sports last year, many schools canceled activities that demand relatively high physical fitness said Pan Xuemei, at the ongoing annual session of the committee, Information Times reported.

Schools have become very careful, Pan said citing a survey in Shanghai in which more than 80 percent of respondents said schools bear the responsibility for accidents on the campus.

To enable schools to resume sporting activities, the identification of responsibility should be clear and insurance should shoulder part of the risk, she said.

In the liability insurance program schools currently have, insurance companies tend not to hold schools responsible and do not pay compensation.

Pan suggested education authorities work with insurance companies to design a new insurance product so even if schools are not responsible for sporting accidents, insurers will compensate.