Thousands of enraged local parents took to multiple government agencies of Xi'an City, Shaanxi province, on July 21 to protest a government policy that has narrowed students’ opportunities for high school and college education.
Parents complained that the government allowed a large number of students from Henan Province to participate in the local high school entrance exam, pushing the passing grade up. As a result, many local students failed to enter high schools and have lost their future opportunities for college as well.
Parents surrounded the agencies and shouted: “Xi'an kids want the seats!” They left shortly after midnight after the mayor promised to investigate.
According to social media posts, 40,000 students out of the total 100,000 participants in the exam were not registered local students, or so-called “flow-back” students. Their household registration is in the City of Xi'an, but they didn’t register in any school in the city.
That led to the qualification grade going up by 16 points. Those who didn’t earn 600 points (out of a full score of 700) will not be able to enter high school and have no chance of going to college.
Parents have gathered around different government agencies since July 14, when the scores were released.
The Education Department of the City claimed on July 18 that a total of 3,608 “flow-back” students participated, which was only 3.5 percent of the total.
But many parents didn’t believe it. They complained that there were only 80,000 second-year students in school last year, so how could there be an increase of 20,000 students in just one year?
Some parents held up a banner saying “My kid is not a sacrifice of a new policy or lazy policy,” in front of the Yangling District Government, Xi'an City. Some also went to protest at the Department of Education of Shaanxi Province on July 20. Police took two mothers into custody.
On Friday, parents packed the city’s Petition Reception Center, where citizens can appeal decisions made by the city. They requested an official explanation. Some shouted, some begged, and some sang.
The authorities deployed police with cell phone signal-masking vehicles. Meanwhile, all social media posts related to the event have been deleted.
According to local reports, Mayor Ye Niuping talked with representatives of the parents. He promised to set up a task force to investigate and verify the registration and the scores of the 3,608 “flow-back” students.
The education opportunities in China are very limited and uneven. Shaanxi Province, with a population of 40 million, has 16 majors in 7 universities listed in the Chinese Ministry of Education’s Double First Class University Plan. While Henan Province, with a population of nearly 100 million, has just 4 majors in 2 universities listed. The score of qualification for the college entrance exam in these two provinces differed due to the unbalance. To enter college or a better college, many Henan residents would risk violating the law to move to Shaanxi.
