Regulate overseas student summer camps

The Asiana plane crash aroused attention to an overseas summer camp for Chinese pupils. A considerable number of them need to be regulated, said an article in People's Daily (excerpts below).

After two Chinese girls died in the Asiana plane crash, Zhejiang province issued an order that prevented certain summer camps from traveling overseas.

Of course, it is arguable to blame the summer camps for bringing the children into a potentially harmful situation, but some of them are not without problems, which call for regulation.

Some of the summer camps are run by travel agencies — not academic institutions. To make a profit, some travel agencies change the schedule at will, and turn the trip into a money-making venture. More than one passenger complained that their so-called campus tour was no more than a group photo by some university building.

Moreover, some summer camps lack necessary measures to ensure students' safety. Reports show that some travel agents have never even traveled to the destination countries themselves — but they are bold enough to guide tours?

Those who attend the summer camps are often unsatisfied. So, the government should introduce tougher regulations on these agency-organized summer camps and supervise them, so more accidents and complaints can be avoided.