When the clock pointed to seven o'clock in the morning, Cao Ang, a junior three high school student in Beijing, had already arrived at school. He came 15 minutes earlier. In order not to be late, he had skipped his breakfast. It usually takes him 50 minutes to go to school by bus and normally, he would skip breakfast in order to arrive on time.

 

A reporter from the Beijing Evening News recently carried out a survey among primary and middle school students in Beijing. From the survey the reporter finds that about 20-30% of the students go to school without breakfast and among those who do, most will only have a quick and simple breakfast.

 

The survey shows that the older the students are, the more serious the problem is. Of primary school pupils, many live close to their schools and their parents will usually make sure that they have breakfast before going to school. So among this group, only one or two students in a class might arrive at school without eating anything. However, the problem is more serious with middle school students. In a class which has 43 students, 10, or a quarter of the total, go to school on an empty stomach.

 

Even for those who do have breakfast, the breakfast is too simple. The survey shows that the breakfast of most kids doesn't meet certain nutrition standards. Half of the children who eat breakfast feel hungry well before lunch time. Many children only drink a bag of milk as "breakfast", which, according to experts, is far from enough.

 

In a separate survey, 60% of the pupils in Beijing and Shanghai say skipping breakfast or having a simple breakfast will affect their performance in class. Some students can't concentrate on their study during the third and fourth class periods, some can't remember things well, some will do poorly in exams.

 

(Chinanews.cn March 20, 2007)