Under a nationwide plan, mature volunteers are being sought to participate in the education of children and help remedy bad habits among youth.

The plan calls for volunteer monitors to check whether people under the age of 18 are entering banned places such as Internet caf és.

 

Despite rules that prohibit minors from entering Internet caf és, junior and senior high school students are often the main customers.

 

Under the newly launched “Love Helps Growing-up” program, local senior citizens can take part in the war between parents and Internet caf és for children.

 

The supervisors will have special certificates and work in groups. Authorities are granting them the right to conduct spot checks at any time. If minors are found on the premises, the businesses will be penalized.

 

According to Zhang Xuecheng, an official with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China -- the organizer of the program -- five cities will send out monitors on a trial basis beginning Saturday.

 

The pilot cities are Tianjin, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

 

On October 22 the program will expand into 100 cities. Over a period of three to five years, it will be promoted in all cities throughout the country.

 

(China Daily September 27, 2004)