Why are public schools in Beijing so reluctant to open their playgrounds to the public?

One reason is certainly concern about the risks involved, especially the lawsuits that could potentially arise when local citizens injure themselves using the school's facilities.

In acknowledgment of the problem, an education official was recently quoted on condition of anonymity by the Chinese media as asking, "Who is going to be responsible if a resident using a school's sports facilities has an emergency or dies suddenly?"

Although such scenarios may sound extreme, the city government has decided to insure itself and residents. Schools can now pay up to 1 million yuan ($130,000) a year in settlements from personal accident claims in this area.

The government has further sweetened its offer by promising schools that provide an unusual degree of public access 5 million yuan a year, which it plans to take from the proceeds of sports lottery ticket sales.

Now that school principals do not have to fear personal injury claims, they may soon be required to open their outdoor sports grounds to their neighbors free of charge on holidays and after school hours if they have one of the following: an athletic field with a 200-meter race course, a soccer field, a basketball or volleyball court, or table tennis facilities.

The city now has 6,100 sports grounds, roughly half of which are on school or university campuses walled off from the public, which explains why more than 40 percent have not been made available to the city's taxpayers.

The move to open up these sports facilities is welcome, but it seems to have raised more questions than it answers. The government will still have to work out details to implement its "Guiding Suggestions on the Opening of the School Sports Facilities to the Public of Beijing," a plan passed in early April.

First, will local universities be included in this new drive? Beijing has 1,310 primary schools, 707 middle schools and 82 universities. Although outnumbered, the universities have many sports grounds. More than 1,107 sports grounds are located in western Beijing's Haidian District, where the universities are concentrated.

When the organizers of the Beijing Olympics first decided on the competition venues, only three local universities were named to host some of the competitions. However, based on the considerations of cost-effectiveness and how the venues will be put to use after the Games, six universities in Beijing will now host events including wrestling, table tennis, judo, badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.

If local universities open their sports facilities, can student volunteers help residents use these while educating the community about Olympic sports? This may help reduce maintenance costs and cultivate a more active citizenry.

Second, since indoor facilities such as gyms and swimming pools will charge on a per diem basis, how will the fees be standardized? Will schools keep the costs low enough to encourage public use, or end up pricing themselves out of the market?

Despite the government's incentives, some schools have voiced their concerns about campus security as large crowds flood their facilities. This leads to another question: will those schools that refuse to open to the public be punished?

Last, as the other half of the 6,100 sports grounds in Beijing are controlled by government, institutions and state enterprises, should the owners also follow suit in opening their sports facilities to the public?

After all, they are called public sports grounds for a reason.

Email: yuanzhou@ chinadaily.com.cn