SHANGHAI, Sept 10 — In China which is experiencing an unseasonal heatwave, debate has erupted on social media over the use of air conditioners in classrooms.
United Kingdom-based BBC News reported that parents in some of China’s hottest cities have urged schools to install air conditioners as temperatures surpass 35°C.
In Changsha, its education department even sparked outrage by saying air conditioners will not be installed to “cultivate the spirit of hard work and endurance.”
“Hard work and endurance? Can we please then ask the education bureau to work in 40-degree heat, then discuss whether this is the way to cultivate such spirit in children,” said a user on social media network Weibo.
This led to an online debate over who should pay for the air conditioning and if they should be used at all.
Many parents argued that without air conditioning, it would be difficult for students to concentrate during extreme heat.
“Without air conditioning, it would be challenging to concentrate on studying,” Lin Yujun, the father of a junior high school student in Guangdong in southern China, told Shanghai-based news Sixth Tone.
However, some parents expressed concerns about students catching colds or infections in air-conditioned rooms.
Schools are hesitant to cover the high costs of air conditioners and electricity bills, with some asking parents to contribute financially.
Some schools have postponed the autumn semester or resorted to using ice blocks in classrooms to combat the heat.
