E-Paper
China school's unusual fee for student naps sparks outrage: ‘Is this a joke?’
The school will be arranging for the teachers to be present to look after the students during the nap sessions.
A private primary school in China, Jiesheng Primary School, in the Guangdong province is set to charge students for afternoon naps on desks, mats or beds in the new school year.
A viral screenshot from a school notice shared on the Chinese social media platform WeChat listed three items with associated fees without explaining the charges, as reported by the Hong Kong-based news organization South China Morning Post.
As per the notice, sleeping on the desk would incur a charge of 200 yuan (US$28). Whereas, sleeping on the mats in the classrooms would cost students 360 yuan (US$49.29) and on the beds in private rooms would lead to a total cost of 680 yuan (US$93.10).
The school will be arranging for the teachers to be present to look after the students during the nap sessions.
As per the China-based news platform Xibu Juece, local education officials said that the regulation was not a unified judgement but added that private schools in the country were entitled to make such a move.
A member of the school's staff confirmed to local media the plans to charge the students for afternoon naps. The staff member said, “It is not mandatory. Students also can choose to go back home during their lunch break.”
According to the staff member, the nap charges were in line with official regulations and the school could individually decide what to charge the students for.
Dongguan City Development and Reform Bureau spokesman, as quoted by South China Morning Post, said that the charges were reasonable since the teachers would be present to look after and supervise the students during the nap sessions.
Several people on the Chinese social media platform Weibo were critical of the new fee system.
One of the users said, “Is this a joke? The school has gone crazy just to make money.”
Another user asked, “This is ridiculous. Next the school will charge a fee for going to the restroom or breathing?”
One of the users also said, “Am I the only one who can’t understand why students need to pay for sleeping at their desks?”
