Graduation feasts put pressure on students from poorer backgrounds

World
Europe

The Chinese tradition of throwing a banquet to thank teaching staff after graduation is putting pressure on students from poorer backgrounds.

One such extravaganza thrown by parents of graduates at a middle school in Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong Province after the senior high school entrance exam whipped up a ruckus on social media.

Thousands of web users voiced their concerns over the extent to which the feast presented a dilemma to students from poorer families.

VCG Photo

The dinner, which took place at an upscale local restaurant, was organized by several parents of students from the Shenzhen Experimental Chenghan School.

One student surnamed Zhu told a local TV station that they were each required to pay 1,200 yuan (176 US dollars) for the meal, decorations and gifts for the teachers.

“They (parents who organized the dinner) would repeatedly call or text the other parents to confirm whether they would come or not, as if forcing them to do so,” Zhu told Shenzhen Satellite TV.

She said 35 out of the 43 students from the same class eventually registered for the banquet.

A WeChat message sent by a parent organizer suggested that the feast totaled more than 37,000 yuan (5,879 US dollars). /Screenshot of Shenzhen Satellite TV program.

According to a screenshot of a WeChat message sent by one of the organizers, the feast totaled a staggering 37,000 yuan (5,879 US dollars).

In response to concerns that the school was also behind the luxurious banquet, director of the school's administrative department Kang Xinming told reporters that the dinner was organized solely by parents and not campus staff.

Kang Xinming, director of the school’s administrative department, said the school had no idea about the banquet. /Screenshot of Shenzhen Satellite TV program.

“We are firmly opposed to such displays of gratitude to our teachers,” Kang said.

Chen Zhijun, one of the teachers invited, claimed he also had no idea of the details of the dinner.

The teacher in charge of the class added the parents insisted on throwing the party despite the fact that he had already turned down the invitation a month before the high school entrance examination.

Class teacher Chen Zhijun said he had turned down the invitation before. /Screenshot of Shenzhen Satellite TV program.

“We would also like to provide our children an opportunity to reunite and the costs are already low,” one of the parents told local TV, adding that parents and students should be obliged to spare no effort in expressing their gratitude to teachers who “served as guiding lights in their life.”

Since the interviews were broadcast, the feast has been slammed by users on micro-blogging site, Weibo.

“The meal is a kind of showoff by well-to-do organizers but a burden for those who could hardly afford it,” @fandudamengzhu commented.

“What should students from impoverished families do?” @zhonghuaminzuzucao asked, noting that such an elaborate feast presented a dilemma for some students.

Teachers from Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province signed up to refuse reciprocal dinners. /VCG Photo

Dinners held to show gratitude to teachers are in full swings during graduation season.

Media reports show that the average price for such an event can be around 4,000 yuan (588 US dollars) in some cities.