Residents welcomed Chaoyang district's new policy of opening sports facilities in primary and middle schools to the public, but some teachers worry schools won't be able to afford the expensive maintenance fees.

Xie Wenwen, media officer with Chaoyang district sports bureau, told METRO that the bureau required primary and middle schools in Chaoyang district to make their facilities for football, basketball and volleyball or 200 m or longer running tracks available to the public.

"It aims to advocate a nationwide fitness scheme and to promote a healthy lifestyle among residents," she said.

The public will only be able to use the sports facilities outside regular teaching hours, such as in the evenings, at weekends, and during summer and winter and public holidays, Xie added.

The bureau also stipulated that schools should provide outdoor sports facilities like running tracks and fitness facilities to the public free of charge.

The indoor sports facilities such as badminton courts and swimming pools can be charged for, in accordance with the quality of the facility.

Xie said schools that open sports facilities to the public will get subsidies and maintenance fees of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan from Chaoyang government depending on the quantity and quality of the facilities.

However, some teachers said the new policy might still increase the financial burden on schools.

A teacher surnamed Jiang from No 80 Middle School told METRO that the school would need to maintain its running tracks much more frequently if all the residents living nearby took a walk in the campus everyday.

"We will probably need to maintain the track every year after it opens to the public, while we did it every two to three years previously," she said. It costs 2 to 3 million yuan to maintain the track, she added.

"The subsidy is not adequate to offset the costs. It will put more burden on school."

According to the sports bureau, Chaoyang district has 214 primary and middle schools. Among them, 83 have standard sports facilities, of which 56 have already made them available to the public in February, including No 80 Middle School and Chenjinglun Middle School.

Residents applauded the new policy. Wang Suzi, a saleswoman who lives close to Lama Temple, said she played badminton every Saturday at a court in downtown Beijing. It took her an hour to commute every week.

"It will save me a lot of time if I can use the badminton court in the primary school near my apartment," she said.