Twelve-year-old Wang Enyang says he aspires to become an architect, but he never expected even that technical job was corruptible.

Until he read in a new textbook about the corruption case behind a bridge collapse in 1999 that killed 40 and injured 14 in Qijiang county of southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

The poorly-built bridge did not pass quality inspection, but its builders bribed local officials into opening it to traffic, the textbook, entitled "Chongqing Society", reads.

About 570,000 primary school pupils in Chongqing have got a copy of the textbook for a new course on anti-graft and clean government. The textbook has three different versions for fourth, fifth and sixth graders, with ample cases with convincing analyses telling the school children to be honest, frugal, responsible and refrain from taking undeserved fame or money.

Wang said he and his classmates at Hanyu Road Primary School in Yubei district were impressed by its texts and cartoons. "I also reminded my father, vice president of Huaying Middle School, never to accept bribes," he said. "And he thinks highly of my opinion."

His classmate Wang Yan said a childish form of corruption actually did exist among schoolchildren. "Sometimes a pupil would pay a classmate 10 yuan (1.2 US dollars) so he wouldn't have to join the cleaning work. In a few cases, even team leaders can be bribed into letting a failing fellow kid pass an oral test."

With what she has learned in the new course, Liu Wenting said she would talk her classmates out of "bribing" next time. "But no one seems to repeat those errors. I think everyone has learned a lesson," she said.

Their teacher Zhou Xueping said the anti-corruption course is useful in helping children build a sound value system and learn to be responsible.

To help kids better understand what corruption and clean government mean, Zhou said she encourages her students to read more and have more group discussions. "I also asked each pupil to present to the class his own objectives and how to be free from impact of corruption. The kids' interest and understanding of the rather grown-up topic are amazing."

Some students told the class they hope to qualify as doctors but would never accept any cash or gifts from their patients; some said they would run their own businesses but make only clean money; others said they would become efficient officials, who would never yield to money or power. "Obviously, the kids have their own understanding about how to remain noble-minded," said Zhou.

The municipal education authorities also plan to include anti-corruption as a compulsory course at citywide junior and senior high schools next year, said Tao Yuanhong, a moral education researcher in Chongqing.

Two years ago, the affluent eastern province of Zhejiang recommended to local primary and secondary school kids a series on anti-corruption and clean government. In a recent survey, 90 percent of the young readers said they benefited from the books, and would feel shameful should they themselves or their parents take undeserved money or simply to get a privileged car ride.

Chinese people have repeatedly expressed concerns about corruption, which has been called "the largest threat to the ruling authority" of the Communist Party.

In February, newspaper readers picked "anti-corruption" as the most popular government catch phrase of the year that will draw the widest attention in China.

In a survey by China Youth Daily, one of the country's most influential newspapers, nearly 50 percent of the 11,000 respondents refer to "anti-corruption" as the most likely popular expression in 2005.

In April, the Ministry of Education set up a special panel to promote anti-graft education among students of all age groups nationwide. "It's now a crucial part of our moral education," said Tao Yuanhong, a specialist who led the compilation work of the anti-graft textbook for primary schoolers in Chongqing.

Though some argue it is unnecessary to vaccinate children against grown-ups' problems, experts say it is internationally accepted practice and has had far-reaching influence in many countries and regions.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption stipulates that anti-corruption education should enter classrooms. Regions that excel in fighting corruption, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, also believe such education should begin with kids.

"As China emphasizes more on prevention of corruption, anti-graft education is becoming indispensable for students of all ages," said Xu Subin, deputy director of the Discipline Inspection Committee of Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang Province.

Source: Xinhua