A high school in central China is facing backlash online after announcing that only its top students can study in rooms with air conditioning.
Shangqiu No. 4 Senior High School, located in Henan province, mandated that only two classes of seniors with the highest grades can study in air-conditioned rooms, leaving the rest in uncomfortable conditions in the upcoming summer months.
To implement the new policy, the school had electricians cut off cords in rooms that turned air-conditioning on without approval, according to Pear Video.
The school argued in its defense that its limited electrical grid system cannot allow air-conditioning of all premises.
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“Some classes couldn’t have air-conditioning because the school’s transformer could not handle that much load,” a teacher said, according to Inkstone News.
The news immediately sparked discussions on social media, with many criticizing the longstanding inequality in the Chinese education system.
Most public schools in the country reportedly separate students according to their grades, with top-performing ones typically receiving the best teachers.
Weibo users commented:
“That’s just unfair.”
“This is called resource optimization. There’s nothing wrong about it.”
“Classmates, this may be the most meaningful lesson we get in high school.”
“This situation teaches us that the harder we work, the more fortunate we become.”
“When you leave the school gate, that’s when you realize that school is actually the fairest place in society.”
