Chinese students hold principal hostage 'for more than 30 hours' during rare protest

Chinese police on June 8 informed that the protesting students in Jiangsu province held a school principal hostage over fears their degrees would be devalued. According to BBC, undergraduates at Nanjing Normal University's Zhongbei College were enraged by a plan to merge the school with vocational institutes - which are seen as less prestigious. As students feared the new plan would downgrade their degrees, they detained the principal on campus for more than 30 hours. 

Danyang city police said that undergraduates at Nanjing Normal University's Zhongbei College in Jiangsu province had "gathered" from Sunday and detained the 55-year-old principal on campus for more than 30 hours. The police added that the students “shouted verbal abuse and blocked law enforcement” and refused to let the principal leave even after authorities announced a suspension of the merger plans. As per reports, some students were injured as the police used batons and pepper spray on them. 

The police, on the other hand, said that to uphold campus order, public security organs took necessary measures in accordance with the law to remove the trapped person. They added that the injured were immediately sent to the hospital for treatment. The police officials also stated that the Jiangsu education authorities suspended the merger plans, which affected five local universities, late Monday evening, but students at Zhongbei College refused to stop. 

Student protest 

As per reports, the hashtag ‘Nanjing Normal University Zhongbei College students injured by violent law enforcement’ was blocked on the microblogging platform Weibo by Tuesday afternoon. But a video on Twitter showed thousands of chanting undergraduates surrounded by officers outside, as cops chased after them and dragged individuals out of the crowd.

Meanwhile, the Jiangsu Education Department had said the decision was to comply with a Ministry of Education directive to transform independent colleges into vocational schools. The decision, however, led to protests in four other independent colleges in the province in recent days over similar fears, with some events of physical confrontation. It is worth mentioning that independent colleges are co-funded by universities and social organisations or individuals. 

Students who do not get the required exam scores to enter university can apply to these institutions, where they can still graduate with a university degree but at higher tuition costs. These degrees are seen as more prestigious than vocational degrees. Graduates believe they offer them better opportunities in the country's fiercely competitive job market.

(Image: Twitter)