In Hunan’s Qidong County, Hengyang City, just came out of poverty in 2018, recently invested a huge sum of 1.2 million yuan (RMB) to renovate the entrance of a high school. The poor conditions of the student dormitories at the school, which no one seems to care about, have sparked controversy.
On July 13, Qidong County’s Yuxian Middle School posted that, with the care and strong support of the county committee government and the county education bureau, the school entrance renovation project officially commenced. The total investment in this project is 1.1961 million yuan, and it is expected to be completed and put into use by August 20.
However, according to a video posted by parents of students at the school on social media, the student dormitories are narrow, mostly accommodating 8-10 students per room. The students’ suitcases can only be placed by the beds, and there is only a half wall separating the toilets from the wash area inside the dormitories, which are also not enclosed.
The school’s contrasting levels of attention to the entrance gate and the dormitories have raised questions among netizens.
Many netizens expressed, “I am a student from this school, and the deplorable condition of the dormitories is not as simple as 8-10 people per room. There is only one trough for a toilet, without even a partition, and next to it is the sink and shower area (a hole dug in a room is used as a toilet).” “The student dormitories are in such a terrible state and they hesitate to fix them! They are so willing to build a new gate! The principal is so extravagant.”
“Ah, so extravagant, I’m afraid the student dormitories are not even equipped with air conditioning.” “Improving the dormitories and cafeteria is more important than a superficial project.” “Would a grand school gate enhance student education?” “Don’t spend 1.2 million on the entrance gate again.”
Regarding the controversy over the 1.2 million yuan renovation of the Yuxian Middle School gate, the winning supplier and the Qidong County Education Bureau responded to the Beijing News that the project was publicly tendered and there was no shady dealing.
The officials in Hengyang City stated that the main gate of Yuxian Middle School was built 30 years ago and poses safety risks. The renovation plan has been financially reviewed by the county finance bureau, and construction is currently underway.
However, many graduates and current students of the school do not agree with the official statements, saying, “The gate is not actually old at all, even the stairs in front of the gate are in good condition.” “There are no safety risks at all, it’s just corruption within the school.” “If the gate poses a safety risk, the school might as well not operate.” “It’s not that the national projects are expensive, it’s that too many individuals participate. Five workers do the job, but there are more than a dozen leaders above them who are also involved and adding to the cost.”
A report by the Beijing News stated that the cost of this high school gate surpasses even that of a university gate by an order of magnitude, truly staggering. The sharp contrast between the exorbitant gate and the county’s history of poverty is quite eye-opening.
Public records show that Qidong County was a provincial-level impoverished county that emerged from poverty in 2018.