Nanjing High School Students Establish Anti-Cramming Alliance, Advocate for People’s Freedom

In recent times, high school students in Nanjing opposed the idea of makeup classes during school holidays, advocating against academic pressure and for freedom, leading to the establishment of the “Nanjing High School Students Anti-Pressure Alliance.” They clearly stated the motto of “Guiding the People Towards Freedom.” With the rapid increase in members reaching over a thousand, the police located the alliance and subsequently disbanded the group.

Images circulated online showing a document titled “Joint Public Announcement of the Nanjing Anti-Pressure Alliance and Nanjing No.42 Middle School,” which outlined reporting efforts in key schools within the county-level administrative area, emphasizing continuous efforts by escalating complaints from the city to the province if necessary, exerting pressure from various directions.

The document dated August 8 stated, “Through our efforts, we have obtained a 40-day holiday… Our goal should not stop here! We must continue to break records! Students should be liberated! Students should have freedom! Students should receive a progressive education of enlightened thinking! Guiding the people towards freedom!”

A post by “Educational Affairs” indicated that several high school students in Nanjing, disenchanted with frequent makeup classes during school holidays and the overwhelming academic workload, united to form an “Anti-Pressure Alliance,” drawing participation from students of various schools and sparking broad societal attention and discussions. This event highlighted the issue of “academic pressure” within the education sector.

Initially, the alliance aimed to combat academic pressure, specifically focusing on collecting evidence of mandatory holiday makeup classes and heavy homework assignments, mimicking parental statements in reporting these to educational authorities.

As the movement gained momentum and attracted more students over the span of a month, the alliance’s membership rapidly grew. By the end of July, the combined members of several groups reached over a thousand people.

The article clarified that there is presently no No.42 Middle School in Nanjing as the original school has been merged. The Anti-Pressure Alliance adopted the name of No.42 Middle School as the leading students behind the organization mainly originated from No.29 Middle School and No.13 Middle School in Nanjing, where 29+13 equals 42. The emblem of the Anti-Pressure Alliance was created by splitting and merging the insignias of these two schools.

Through the efforts of these students, public schools in Nanjing mostly refrained from holding makeup classes in July. However, by the end of July, news emerged that schools like Yangzi Middle School, scheduled to start on August 10, planned to begin makeup classes a week earlier on August 4. This prompted the Anti-Pressure Alliance to regroup, aiming to replicate their successful actions from July in August.

According to “Educational Affairs,” the police successfully located and disbanded the students of the Anti-Pressure Alliance.

Additionally, as outlined by the author “Nanjing Parents Circle,” a 17-year-old boy from a prestigious high school in Nanjing came under police scrutiny recently for organizing an Anti-Pressure Alliance and reporting the school for summer makeup classes.

This remarkable young boy displayed exceptional leadership skills, setting up three groups consecutively within a month, attracting students from renowned middle and high schools in Nanjing, resulting in a total alliance membership exceeding a thousand individuals.

According to “Nanjing Parents Circle,” the police believed that this situation escalated student opposition towards schools and learning, potentially fostering sensitive situations such as strikes or hunger strikes. The boy promised to disband the groups in response.