CRI听力：Schools Should Promote Legal Education

A court in southwestern China's Guizhou city recently heard a criminal case involving 17 young defendants accused of various charges such as theft and intent to injure.

But what astonished the public was that the oldest defendant was only 25 years old and the youngest was a minor. It was reported that after the gang members had been detained by police, they showed no signs of panic or fear of the possible consequences of their alleged actions.

An article in the China Youth Daily says the gang members disregarded the law, because they were ignorant of it. Although the government has introduced a series of programs to promote legal knowledge among youngsters, it has failed to place enough emphasis on legal education because of the country's examination-oriented education system, the article notes.(Www.hxen.net)

It also says many students at primary or secondary schools lack a means of gaining knowledge of the country's laws, so that some of them take the wrong paths in their lives.

According to the latest statistics, adolescent crimes account for more than 70 percent of the country's total crimes.

The article suggests that legal education should be included in the new national education plan that the government recently proposed. The Ministry of Education started soliciting public opinions on the new 12-year reform and development education plan last week.

The article adds that legal education should not only impart legal theories, but also provide psychological guidance for teenagers.