In recent days, a highly controversial “gratitude education” event was held at a high school in Henan Province, China. Parents were required to kneel in a row on the ground, while students, blindfolded, walked over their parents’ backs. Some students later realized they were stepping on their own parents and burst into tears on the spot. The video of this event went viral online, sparking outrage among netizens who criticized the school for shattering the ethical boundaries of education.
On the 6th, a video began circulating widely on Chinese social media platforms. The video showed parents kneeling in a row on the ground while students, apparently blindfolded, were assisted by others to step over their parents’ backs. In the video, someone could be heard shouting, “Keep going! Keep going!”
According to eyewitnesses, the students had no idea they were stepping on their own parents as they were blindfolded during the activity. One girl only realized it was her parents after taking off the blindfold and broke down in tears.
Some netizens confirmed in the video comments section, “We have also participated in this kind of activity, which is designed to let people personally experience that their life is built on the shoulders of their parents and encourages them to work hard.”
Netizens strongly condemned the event, saying, “Is stepping on parents part of gratitude education?” “Is the school out of its mind?” “In the name of gratitude, they are committing humiliation.” “Is filial piety no longer taught in schools?” “This is not about loving the child, but about putting ‘shackles’ on them, making them carry a burden for life.” “Forcing students to trample on their close family members may induce long-term guilt or alienation.” “See, once you have children, they can easily manipulate you.” “Let the school leaders and teachers kneel down for the students to step on and experience it.”
On the 7th, the incident made it to the top trending topics online. The Education Bureau responded, stating that they have received student complaints and are currently investigating. In the early hours of the 7th, the school issued a statement explaining that on September 30th, the first-year students conducted a family-school education activity with the consent of parents. Due to inadequate consideration of specific details, the activity took an inappropriate form, leading to misunderstanding by some media and netizens. The school expressed its apologies for the misunderstanding.
In response to this, a prominent Weibo user emphasized that while the school issued an apology, they downplayed the seriousness of the situation and did not mention holding teachers accountable or providing psychological support, which makes it difficult to gain public trust. The ongoing investigation by the Education Bureau has revealed a serious lack of supervision in allowing such activities to be organized without proper oversight.
The Weibo user highlighted that “Parents who kneel cannot educate children who stand,” emphasizing that the mission of education is to cultivate a healthy personality and never breach the bottom line of dignity. Only by upholding respect, rejecting moral coercion, and bringing education back to rationality and warmth can we cultivate a new generation that understands gratitude and carries a sense of reverence.