Chinese Universities Should Require Military Training

Chinese Universities Should Require Military Training

Military training, which usually lasts about two weeks, has long been considered an indispensable tradition that freshmen must experience to officially start their college lives (Wang). The freshmen are required to undergo military training as ordered by The Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China and The Decisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party about Education System Reform. There is no way escaping from military training unless his doctor does not allow him literally. However, an increasing number of people interrogate whether such training is necessary and useful by stating that military training is physically racking and even damages health. The purpose of military training is to promote the spirit of patriotism, increase the awareness of national defense, and develop the good will and character of students (Wang). Presently, many people doubt whether the training routine does improve students’ physical fitness over only two weeks. There has been a heated discussion on whether Chinese universities should require military training since the cases of heatstroke, sunburn and other diseases increased during the military training. Although some people strongly oppose military training, it is an indispensable part in the education system, enhancing the physical and mental qualities of college students. It's quite natural that you might also be dreading it. Only through tough training, can college students refine their endurance, perseverance and will, which are greatly essential factors contributing to one’s success.

As a compulsory activity for college students, military training is facing unprecedented difficulty because its original function has been regarded as torture to the students in both physical and mental aspects. According to the spokesman of Peking University, there are 1,298 of 3,500 participants visiting doctors during Peking University's military training, accounting for 5,649 visits for undergoing respiratory infection, sunburn, heatstroke and gastrointestinal disease (Zhang). It is not a unique phenomenon to Peking University. Every year a large number of college students throughout the country faint during military training and many of them find various excuses to dodge military training, given the overly strict drills and the long-time exposure to strong sunlight. Some parents and students complain that military training does little to improve fitness or shape their body figure but does harm to their health. Particularly, facing the direct sunshine, many students training formation, standing at attention, and marching in formation for several hours, easily lose consciousness and suffer sunstroke.

According to the Ministry of Education, to cultivate students’ self-discipline, collectivism and endurance are the targets of military training (Zhang). During the training,