To motivate its students to study hard and fight for future success, a private boarding school in north China’s Handan City in Hebei Province came up with the idea to station two tanks in front of its entrance.

The school, Hengshui No.1 High School at Handan, bought two decommissioned tanks from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and unveiled the military vehicles at the school’s annual open campus on Tuesday, Chinese media outlet The Paper reports. 

“The tanks were bought for patriotic education, and national defense will be incorporated into our school curriculum,” the school’s president Guo Hong told thepaper.cn.

“The school hopes that our staff and students can uphold the belief and spirit of fearlessness, bravery, solidarity and the willingness to fight for success,” Guo said.

The school’s move has sparked controversy online, however, given its current education style has already imposed strict military disciplines on students.

Hengshui No.1 High School at Handan was cofounded by a local enterprise and the renowned Hengshui No.1 High School. The latter is known across the country for having the majority of its graduates acing the national university entrance exam and getting admitted into China’s top universities. On the flip side, it has been frequently criticized for pushing its students to study after hours and give up extracurricular activities.

According to the school president, the two tanks, a Type 69 and a Type 62, have both been deployed in real battles in the past and are combat proven.

The school took away the engine and weapon systems and redecorated the exterior, painting two serial numbers 985 and 211 on each tank. The serial numbers represent the country’s flagship education plans for leading universities.

The school’s vice president He Zhanjun compared the tanks to chariots. “Onboard the chariots you can be admitted into the country’s leading institutions,” He told Beijing News.