A Shanghai mother who sparked a confrontation with school teachers over WeChat after she refused to wake her young child for an early class has generated discussions on social media over whether young Chinese students are getting enough sleep.
Posted screenshots from the parent-teacher chat group on March 1 show the mother telling teachers that her son would not be attending morning study hall to ensure he could “wake up naturally every day.” The chat exchanges with the school teachers soon escalated into a full-blown quarrel.
Many netizens criticized the parent for her perceived rudeness and pointed out that allowing the child to skip the class could potentially be in violation of regulations issued by the Ministry of Education.
However, some sided with the mother, arguing that she shed light on the issue of children’s general lack of sleep. While education authorities prohibit primary schools from starting before 8:20 am, many schools still schedule a 30-minute study hall before that time.
An online poll by Jimu News revealed that nearly half of the 4,450 respondents understand the parent’s concerns, while 20 percent said the mother articulated “what they dare not say.”
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