A boarding school in China faced criticism for severely disciplining a student who used the toilet after curfew. - Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
BEIJING: A boarding school in northern China faced reprimand from the local education authority after punishing a student for using the toilet after curfew.
The teenage boy, a Form Three student at Yundong Secondary School in Shanxi province, went to the bathroom at 11pm, which was 15 minutes past curfew, and was caught by staff members.
As reported by Beijing News, administrators forced the boy to write a “deep self-reflection” letter and to distribute 1,000 photocopies of the essay to his schoolmates as punishment. Additionally, five points were deducted from his class’s monthly discipline score.
An anonymous teacher informed the news outlet that, before the authorities’ reprimand, students were prohibited from walking around the dormitory after 10.45pm, and using the toilet was not permitted.
Students who needed to use the bathroom after curfew were required to reach out to dorm administrators for permission.
In his self-reflection essay, the student expressed: “I have seriously breached the school rules, and going to the toilet in the evening not only disturbed other students’ sleep but also brought shame to my class.”
He sincerely apologised to his classmates and the school, pledging not to “repeat this behaviour in the future.”
The boy’s punishment went viral online, sparking significant backlash against the school.
“I don’t understand why going to the toilet after 11pm breaks the school’s rules. Who can control when they need to go?” one user commented on Douyin.
Another remarked: “This school resembles a prison with such strict regulations.”
As news of the school’s penalty gained traction on social media, the Education Department of Huairen, where the school is situated, swiftly responded.
“We instructed the school to learn from this incident and reflect on its errors. We told them to revise their discipline policies,” the education authority stated.
The department also advised the school to engage with the boy “in a caring manner” and mandated compensation of 100 yuan (US$14) to cover the costs of copying the self-reflection essay.
Officials stated they have instructed all schools to implement “reasonable and humane” discipline policies to prevent a recurrence of the late-night bathroom incident. - South China Morning Post
