University: handwriting vital for future teachers

    The university, which enrolled its first group of free education majors this year, kicked off a campus handwriting contest among the 1,000-plus freshmen being trained as teachers on a four-year course.

    University officials said they were adding handwriting to the required curriculum, after students' poor handwriting aroused public concern.

    "Handwriting reflects one's personal artistic and cultural quality but it's more important for teachers, who are expected to exemplify the best for the younger generation," said Jiang Bingbing, associate professor with ECNU's school of humanity and social sciences.

    From this month, education majors must submit writing -- including calligraphy, pen work, chalk work and blackboard design -- for a competition on campus.

    Contestants must copy a paragraph during the final competition round before winners are selected by professors at the end of December.

    Prize-winning works will be on display around the campus which is expected to "motivate the elite and shame those lagging behind to improve their handwriting," organizers said.

    With the wider use of computers, young people get used to typing out articles.

    "Some even find themselves unable to write characters correctly without computers," said Feng Chengcheng, an ECNU student and one of the initiators of the contest.

    For instance, wrong characters in graduates' resumes and exam papers, and poorly written documents are likely to annoy teachers and employers, Feng said.

    "But handwriting is more than a personal affair for teachers who need to write for students. It's not only a traditional art, but a professional quality for us," she said.