BEIJING — The Ministry of Education and 10 other government agencies have issued a circular to encourage primary and middle schools to organize educational excursions for students.

Schools should include work trips into their plans and integrate the events with class teaching, according to the ministry on Dec 19. Trips for primary school students should focus on knowledge and understanding of their hometowns, expanding later to counties, provinces and the country during the junior and senior middle school periods.

Stressing safety as the top priority, the document underscored that trips must be organized on a nonprofit basis and come at a reduced cost for students from families with financial difficulties.