But he demanded "serious and urgent round table talks" between head teachers, the Department for Education, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to work out a way of giving sport greater prominence on the school timetable.

BBC: school children in swimming pool

But according to Liu Jian of the ministry's National Centre for School Curriculum and Textbook Development, employers from a variety of enterprises said they wanted a quicker timetable.

ECONOMIST: China