On March 2nd, hundreds of senior high school students from the Jinfeng Peninsula Campus of the Second Middle School in Shantou City, Guangdong, forcibly dismantled the school gate and rushed into the school to protest against what they deemed as unreasonable regulations regarding being late.
According to student Wu Shanshan (pseudonym), on that Sunday, senior high school students from the school were attending an English listening and speaking exam at another school, which was far from the Second Middle School, making the return journey time-consuming. It was reported that the boarding school, which the Second Middle School belongs to, stipulates that Sunday is the day students must return to school, and they must enter the school by 6 p.m. Otherwise, they would be considered late.
Wu Shanshan explained, “Some students need to go home to get their belongings after the exam, but the distance from home to the school is far, and the exam finishes at 5 p.m., causing heavy traffic congestion, especially at the entrance road to the school. The principal insists on students entering by 6 p.m.; if you are late, you will be sent back home directly, counted as absent, and your credits will be deducted.”
She disclosed that the credit deduction policy was implemented two weeks ago by the newly appointed principal, who was previously the head of the math department. Each student has 40 points, and once these points are deducted, they will be expelled. “Being late directly deducts 4 points; if there are issues with appearance, students are sent home to bring their parents, and points are deducted; absenteeism directly deducts 5 points; staying out overnight deducts 10 points, so students are very resentful towards this system,” she said.
She also mentioned that aside from point deductions, teachers at the school would also put pressure on students, summoning them to the office for talks and imposing labor penalties. Some students couldn’t bear it and dropped out.
On the evening of March 2nd, the students were extremely angry, leading to hundreds of students tearing down the gate, breaking into the school, with some students even climbing over the wall to enter. Eventually, the security guards opened the gate for the students. Wu Shanshan heard that the principal had threatened to “kill whoever opens the gate.”
Another student from the school mentioned that some students had gone to another school to participate in an English listening and speaking exam, which would be included in the total English score for the college entrance examination. Due to the long distance between the exam school and the school campus, combined with the evening rush hour traffic, if they were slightly late returning to school, they were not allowed entry. Consequently, some students and parents worked together to dismantle the school gate.
Additionally, some students stated that being even slightly late after 6 p.m. was considered tardy. At that time, the security guards at the dormitory door directed the students to the main entrance, while the guards at the main entrance directed them to the dormitory door, passing the responsibility back and forth. School leaders made a brief appearance and then fled directly. Later, the school leaders sat in the office, connecting with the security guards for a meeting, after which the students were allowed to enter the school.
Wu Shanshan expressed that the school would likely settle the score afterward.
A reporter from Dajiyuan called the Second Middle School in Shantou to inquire about the handling of this incident. A teacher who answered the call said that school leaders and student representatives were holding a meeting, and the students’ violations would be dealt with.
This incident has sparked attention on social media, with some netizens saying, “good, the resistance has extended to the school, which is a good start.” “This is how schools in China operate, being late results in parents being called, writing statements, corporal punishment, and criticism.”