China: Row over aircons in classrooms as city swelters

As the region experiences an inclement heat, school authorities and families in one of China’s hottest towns are arguing about installing air conditioning in schools.

Families in Changsha, a city in southern China, have urged schools to mount air conditioning, stoking debates over whether or not they should be used at all.

However, college officials threatened to not install heat conditioners” to foster the soul of hard work and strength in the students.”

This drew outrage, as temperatures in Changsha, located in Hunan province, can surpass 40C ( 104F), among the hottest in the country.

China’s wind commission has issued warnings about longer, hotter heatwaves, and conditions that have remained above 35C in some cities in recent days.

However, the majority of rooms in China do not have air conditioning and instead depend on ceiling fans. Calls to fit them have intensified, but some institutions are afraid, citing financial constraints.

” Tough work and perseverance? Could we kindly ask the training bureau to function in 40-degree heat and then discuss whether this is a good way to instill like spirit in children, one Weibo user wrote.

” Global heat has become so critical. What are your kids supposed to do? wrote another.

In Xiangtan town, even in Hunan, one principal university drew condemnation for asking gifts from parents to finance the installation of air conditioners, reported Sixth Tone, a Shanghai-based information page.

Eventually, the neighborhood’s bureau of education issued an order for the institution to pay the parents.

Nevertheless, some observers said university’s request was fair and that students ‘ comfort should be the goal.

” Now that ]authorities ] have stopped parents from contributing, when will school students be able to use air conditioners under such persistently high temperatures”, wrote Long Zhi Zhu, a commentator for local media outlet The Paper.

” The events have been talking about this subject head on and on.” Inevitably, the children are the ones who suffer”, wrote a Weibo person.

Some people are considering using air conditioning to cool the wind.

The start of the fall semester, which was scheduled to begin on September 2nd, has been delayed by various schools, including those in the eastern Jiangxi province and the western Sichuan province.

In order to assist students with the continual heat, some schools have even lined pails containing big blocks of snow inside the classrooms.