Nankai University is making its students exercise and submit proof that they have done so in order to get to the next academic year, South China Morning Post reported.
Every undergraduate at the university located in Tianjin city, China must pass a physical fitness test, which will be assessed along with their academic results.
The university said it wants students to master “two or more” sports and “get off the internet, get out of the dormitory and get into sports halls”, China Youth Daily reported on Tuesday.
According to a study published in the Journal of Media Education, college students are spending at least one-fifth of their time on their smartphones – a big chunk of it is spent on social media sites (Daily Mail).
Researchers from Baylor University which studied cell phone use among college students, warned that excessive use of it can lead to certain risks, like using it as a tool for escapism, cheating in classrooms, as well as cause conflict with everyone from professors and family to their employers (Psych Central).
At Nankai, they hoped the physical test requirement, introduced the end of last year, will encourage students to do at least one hour of exercise every day to improve their “moral character”. Those fitness tests will also affect their eligibility for scholarships.
The first batch of graduates has already received their physical fitness certificates, together with their academic certificates, around 1,206 of them.
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