From Chinese Press

School party not so bad

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-28 08:18

A middle school in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has come under fire for organizing a cocktail party for its students. But the organizers should not be criticized if they succeeded in achieving their aim of promoting quality education, as they claimed, says an article on Rednet. Excerpts:

The Chengdu Sanyuan Foreign Languages School has been criticized for holding a cocktail party for its students. The organizers have explained that their ultimate aim is to promote quality education, but many people have simply dismissed the claim, saying it is not possible to do so through luxurious affairs.

Our education system has been centered on students' academic scores for too long, resulting in the poor overall quality of pass-outs. Therefore, the Chengdu school authorities need to be judged differently, especially because the party taught the students a lesson in art of social interaction. Local reports say the party was a success since the students have done their jobs very well. The cocktail party may have cost a fortune, but the lesson the students learned from it was worth the price.

(China Daily 04/28/2010 page9