Vocational school posts pictures of students’ ‘uncivilized’ behavior — like kissing

A vocational school that triggered hot debate on social media after releasing photos of students’ “uncivilized” activities on campus — such as smoking, raising pets and kissing in public — said it will continue the practice, despite being questioned on social media.

Pictures of the offenders are posted on two bulletin boards on campus.

Ma Zhangqin, director of the Youth League office of Shandong Foreign Languages Vocational College in Rizhao, a coastal city in Shandong province, said the administration has been posting photos of behaviors it doesn’t like based on a document issued by the Ministry of Education in September 2015. The document states that schools can expose undesirable behavior to create civilized campuses.

“I think the exposure will help,” Ma said.

The vocational school placed 33 photos on the bulletin boards — images of students engaging in behaviors the administration frowns upon.

The hot topic of the online discussions has been whether lovers kissing each other on campus should be regarded as uncivilized and exposed. Judging from the comments on Sina Weibo, most users think it is not appropriate to hold couples showcasing their love on campus up to public ridicule. However, most people agreed that the school should fight smoking, littering or keeping a pet, which is forbidden on campus.

Netizens have argued on Sina Weibo that the school has no right to prevent kissing, so long as students don’t violate the law.

Ma said the school doesn’t oppose students falling in love, but called it uncivilized to engage in intimate behavior such as kissing in public.

“Before snapping pictures of the uncivilized behaviors, we advised students not to engage in them — including kissing on campus — and those who do will be photographed,” he said.

A publicity official for the school, who asked to be identified only by her surname, Shen, added that some of the images were taken from footage recorded by security cameras around the campus, while others were submitted by a student group formed to oversee such behaviors.

Most of the 33 photos only show profiles or people’s backs. All faces were pixilated.

Of the three parents interviewed by China Daily, one opposed the school exposing couples’ intimate behaviors.

“I don’t accept my son kissing his girlfriend in public, but it is also not right for schools to expose their behaviors — after all, they didn’t violate any laws,” said Zhang, the father of a sophomore at a university in Qingdao, Shandong. He asked that his full name not be used.

“Anyway,” he added, “those who kiss in public probably don’t mind having their pictures exposed to the public.”