Recently, in the hot weather in Guangdong, the third middle school in Puning did not assess the temperature of the playground surface, and required students to do plank exercises on the ground, resulting in 9 students being burned.
According to the report by “Yangcheng Evening News,” a netizen revealed that on the afternoon of May 13th at 2 p.m., the Puning Third Middle School in Guangdong organized a demonstration of a large midday break activity for first-year students, as organized by the Education Bureau. Due to the hot afternoon weather and activities involving plank exercises and contact with the ground, multiple students suffered burns. The school’s handling of the situation was untimely, with the homeroom teacher eventually applying burn ointment to the students.
However, the school not only failed to apologize but also turned the apology letter that should have been sent to parents into a commendation letter for the students, stating, “Although the ground temperature on the playground was high today, the students did not shrink back during the competition, did not complain, and always participated in the competition with a spirited attitude.” Netizens believe that the school’s improper handling, failure to assess the weather and playground surface temperature, led to the students being injured.
In response, the Puning Third Middle School stated on May 14th that the authorities had come to verify, stating that “the students are all normal.” A staff member from the Puning Education Bureau said that approximately 9 students had developed blisters or abrasions on their hands from contact with the ground, and they were taken to the hospital for bandaging and tetanus injections. Information and counseling were also provided to the students and parents.
The staff member further stated, “Recently, the weather has been unstable, and both teachers and students at the school attach great importance to this activity, so it was not canceled at the last minute.”
The responses from the school and the education bureau have sparked doubts among netizens, with comments such as, “No one backed down, no one complained? Very confusing.” “It’s not that the teachers and students at the school attach great importance to this activity, but that the leadership attaches great importance to it.”
Some netizens expressed, “Looking at the weather in Guangzhou, it was 31 degrees in the afternoon, and the ground temperature could reach forty to fifty degrees. Some students in the comment section mentioned that it wasn’t just plank exercises, but also bending mountain running, jumping jacks, and four other activities in the routine, which even adults would find challenging.”
Netizens criticized, “Let the leaders join the exercise too.” “Doing plank exercises under the sun in Guangdong in May is not about training the body and willpower; it’s like taking a test of endurance.” “If students end up with burn injuries, that’s torture.” “This is truly outrageous.”
On May 15th, the topic of “Multiple middle school students in Guangdong suffered burns from the ground during exercises” soared to the second place on Weibo hot search.