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[flakfizer]

From the Herald:




The government and the ruling party yesterday unveiled a plan to give bare playgrounds in over 400 schools nationwide a healthy green look, hoping this will help students to exercise more.

"Our teenagers are growing bigger and bigger but their physical strength and athletic ability are weakening at an alarming speed. They are (physically) weaker than their parents in their 40s," Rep. Jee Byung-moon told reporters yesterday after a government-Uri Party policy meeting.

"Our schooling system, centered around the national university entrance exam, is the fundamental problem (why students lack exercise). But to begin with, we decided to give students a nice green turf ground to play on as a present."

But it won't be a real present because officials decided to install synthetic turf instead of natural grass with a projected budget of just 177 billion won.

The synthetic turf will be cost effective and easy to maintain, government officials said, stressing it will be made of nonharmful materials and will not cause burns when anyone falls or slides.

By 2010, about 200 elementary, middle and high schools in big cities, about 150 in medium sized cities and around 90 in rural areas will be graced with artificial turf playgrounds, the officiazls said.

During school hours, the grounds will be for students only, but afterwards they can only be used by local people, Rep. Jee said.

Almost all 10,670 schools in Korea have bare, dirt grounds for student physical education classes. Only 1.5 percent, or 166 schools, have natural grass fields while less than 0.29 percent, or 31 schools, now boast artificial turf, according to data from the Education Ministry.

While the nation's boys and girls have generally become taller and heavier, physical fitness tests conducted by the Education Ministry last year showed students performed worse than in the past in almost all categories - the one-mile run, push-ups, sit-ups and standing long jump.

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By Lee Sun-young


Shucks. Almost had hopes of seeing actual, living grass in Seoul-grass one would be allowed to walk on.

[VanIslander]

Cosmetic changes.

How about revamping P.E. programs and gyms/athletic equip/coaching?

[riley]

while I too would like to see real grass, it does sound practical for them. There's something similar happening to U.S. playgrounds. I helped lay down rubber matting for many playgrounds. It was there to protect the children from injury and of course is easier to maintain than grass.
Now, I don't know how safe artificial is, but I bet it is easier to keep up than grass. So maybe it is more cost effective.

[igotthisguitar]