A public playground for children at Tao Dan Culture Park in HCM City. Local authorities have been asked to create favourable conditions for private investors to invest in playgrounds for children. — VNA/VNS Photo The Anh

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — The chairwoman of the HCM City People's Council, Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, has told local authorities to create favourable conditions for private investors to invest in playgrounds for children.

Speaking on the Listen and Discuss talk show on HCM City Television on Sunday, Tam said such investment was a priority, but to ensure its efficient use, the city should call for private investors' participation.

Implementing Resolution 15 of the People's Council's seventh term on developing playgrounds for children in the 2011-15 period, the city has built 10 playgrounds and three houses for children in Tan Phu, Hoc Mon and Binh Chanh districts.

The city's districts and investors have also built 67 playgrounds in parks and other places.

By the end of 2015, the city is expected to build 5,700 new playgrounds in the city's new rural areas.

Nguyen Van Minh, deputy director of the city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the city now had 5,097 playgrounds for children.

Of the figure, 80 per cent have an area of less than 100sq.m, 13 per cent have an area of 100-1,000sq.m, and 7 per cent have an area of more than 1,000sq.m.

"The playgrounds are small and do not meet the demand of children," Minh said.

The city's 15 districts each have a 3D screening room in their children's houses, and the remaining nine districts are now building 3D screening rooms.

However, some 3D screening rooms have not been operating effectively.

The Tan Binh District's 3D screening room, for instance, has only four shows a week.

Huynh Cong Hung, head of the People's Council's Culture and Society Division, said 3D screening rooms did not have many films and of those, many were not new and did not attract children.

Participants at the talk show said many playgrounds were polluted and have degraded entertainment facilities such as the playground in Phu Lam Park in District 6 and the playground in September 23 Park in District 1.

They also suggested that the city invest in facilities to help schools carry out extracurricular activities effectively. — VNS