School in China makes students stand to eat in canteen, separating boys from girls
- School says decision intended to make students stretch their legs after spending all day studying
A secondary school in central China is facing criticism after a video emerged of employees forcing students to eat while standing next to a table, separating them by gender.
The school canteen in Henan province was equipped with rows of tables without chairs that required the students to stand and hunch over as they ate, according to a viral video on Douyin, China’s TikTok.
The video was uploaded by a part-time employee, surnamed Li, who attends Donghua University in Shanghai, and was visiting the secondary school to help students with their university applications.
The school defended its decision to remove chairs from the canteen, saying that although they initially had seats, they decided that removing them “was more beneficial than harmful”.
Administrators said the chairs had previously tripped students several times, so standing while eating was “safer”.
The school also added that students needed to stretch their legs and move around after sitting too long in classrooms.
