World No-Tobacco day :School smoking ban in China

 It is World No-Tobacco day on Tuesday. Beijing authorities have vowed to forbid smoking in schools and universities. But, punitive measures have not yet been established. And that makes enforcing the regulations a tough job.

Based on figures from the Beijing Disease Control Center, about 25 percent of middle school students have tried smoking; almost 10 percent smoke as a habit; and about 40 percent of non-smoking students are exposed to second hand smoke.

"Many men and women smoke on campus particularly in dormitories. Simply because it is challenging to be caught by teachers in a dormitory," said a college student.

Schools in Beijing have been asked to forbid smoking in teaching areas by the end this year. Any school found violating the rule will be penalized up to five thousand yuan. But there is no punishment for people who break regulations.

"Apart from students, many people come to the campus, especially workers when there's construction in school. It is quite difficult to forbid them from smoking," said a college student.

That's what schools worry about.

"The most hard component is that we're not entitled to punish, we can only dissuade," said Huang Yifang, secretary of Beijing Language and Culture University.

Professionals suggest forbidding the sale of tobacco in shops and supermarkets near schools and promoting education on the result that smoking can cause.

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