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August 28, 2014

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Brawl raises doubts about military training

THIS week’s fight during military training at a school in central China’s Hunan Province, which resulted in injuries to 40 students, is raising questions about whether the intense drills have outlived their usefulness.

It was reported that a drillmaster commanded students to do intense pushups, and he got into a fight with their teacher who considered it inappropriate. What happened next is not yet clear, but students, teachers and the drillmaster were all involved. The drillmaster and teacher were also hurt.

The incident has triggered fierce debate across the nation on the wisdom of military training, which is mandatory for high school and college students in China.

Some say it is no longer relevant. Others see it as a good experience for today’s students, who are mostly single children and often considered spoiled. They say these kids need disciplined training for body and mind.

“It is no longer appropriate for military training to be mandatory,” says Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, responding to the event immediately on his Weibo account.

“Schools should decide whether or not to conduct military training depending on their different conditions. The mandatory military training may well become paradoxical — if drillmasters train students seriously, it may result in troubles and fights; if they don’t, the training, meant to help students get more disciplined and tougher, is not useful anymore.”

The Law of the People’s Republic of China on National Defense Education requires all schools to conduct military education, which “provides the foundation for national defense education among all the people and constitutes an important part of education to upgrade the standards of the nation.”

It is recommended for primary and middle schools as well and required for high schools and institutions of higher education.

The tradition goes back many years. Originally it was meant to prepare students for the military draft but has gradually become a part of the school curriculum. Many consider it good practice for students to become disciplined, learn about national defense and to get ready for high school/college life. High school is often the first time many Chinese students start boarding school.

“It is valuable for students entering 10th grade to have some experience with teamwork, living and drilling together. Teamwork is a very important part of their future life in society,” Lu Qisheng, headmaster of Shanghai No. 8 Senior High School, tells Shanghai Daily.

“It is also important to get them more disciplined through strict military training, to teach them the basics about being part of a team and following rules. Otherwise, we may well have PhDs who have excellent grades but lack the basic skills to work with people.”

The required military training is often conducted in August before students enter 10th grade or first year at college. It usually lasts one to two weeks and is done in collaboration with local troops or military institutions.

It is also a common practice for 11th graders to have one- or two-week training of farm work and 12th graders to have some experience at factories. Similar arguments have been made about the relevance of farm work and factory experience for students.

“High school is their last step before turning 18 and considered grown-ups, so it is good to have some tough learning and training experience before this important life period starts,” Lu says. “The only problem is that we should be careful about the degree of toughness. For example, it is usually in August, when it can get really hot in Shanghai and not safe for students to drill for hours under the sun.”

In recent years, news about students fainting from tough drills in extremely hot areas broke out every August during military training season.

“Kids today, like my son, are very weak — both physically and mentally. Actually that should be blamed on parents like me,” says 42-year-old Zhang Caiming, whose 16-year-old son has just finished a week of military training in Shanghai. “The training is nothing compared with when we were young, or compared with other places in China, but my son was so afraid even before it started, and kept complaining after he came back, saying it is inhuman.”

In Shanghai, the education commission requires training to be conducted before 10am or after 5pm. Drills must be adjusted when it gets above 35 degrees Celsius and must be moved indoors or canceled when it reaches 37.

Many Shanghai schools conduct the training at the Oriental Land, a youth activity site in suburban Qingpu District, under collaboration with the local military service.

“We were so busy when he was born, so my son was brought up by his grandparents, who really spoiled him, and he only started living with us when he turned nine years old, when it was already too late to teach him order and rules,” Zhang says.

“I wish the training was tougher and longer, like for a month rather than just one week, leaving him nothing but a few tanning marks.”

Time and level of toughness vary across the nation.

It was reported yesterday that a high school girl in northeastern China’s Liaoning Province committed suicide after returning home from military training. Her parents said she was seriously criticized and abused by her teacher for failing to stand as required during the training, and sent home in desperation. They suggested it was the cause of her suicide.

Others decry the training for other reasons.

“I could understand that we trained in the daytime. However, staying up and practicing singing until 12am only for a better place in the final competition was nothing but a disaster. I don’t understand the purpose,” says Fu Qianqian, a sophomore in Zhejiang University.

She still has fresh memories of the suffering last summer, especially on the last day, when they walked nearly 5 kilometers before a shooting exam.

Educator Xiong also raises the question about whether all drillmasters are qualified to train students.

“Most accidents in military training in recent years are triggered by drillmasters forcing students to do some exercises, such as making them stand for hours under extreme weather, or applying physical abuse to students,” he says.

“If drillmasters can only discipline students through such simple and violent methods, it is hard for students to follow them, and may even result in opposite effects,” he concludes.

 




 

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