Primary school ordered to refund parents for donated air conditioners

The education authorities in Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province, issued a notice on Thursday, requiring a local primary school to repay parents for any air conditioners they donated to classrooms, and vowed to eradicate the practice of asking for such donations in the future.

This followed a netizen from Xiangtan County posting on social media that many student classrooms lacked air conditioning, and parents were eager to donate air conditioners to the school.

A video accompanying the post showed a blank "Student Parent Donation Agreement for Air Conditioners" attributed to Tianyi Jinxia Primary School. The agreement stipulated that parents would be responsible for installing the air conditioners, providing sockets and wiring, and periodically settling electricity bills with the school. It even recommended the use of "Gree" or "Midea" brand air conditioners. Notably, the paperwork lacked any school logos or stamps.

A teacher from Tianyi Jinxia Primary School, as reported by the Huashang Daily in Shaanxi, responded to online queries, stating that the initiative to solicit donations for air conditioners was organized by the school's Parent Committee, and the school itself was not involved.

Jinyun News reported that the Xiangtan education authorities explained that installing air conditioners in every classroom posed a substantial challenge to the school's electrical infrastructure.

In response, the Education Bureau of Xiangtan County issued a notice on Thursday, instructing Tianyi Jinxia Primary School to repay the costs of any donated air conditioners, and vowed to impose strict disciplinary measures on the school in accordance with relevant regulations.

An ongoing heatwave across China this summer has sparked heated debate over the lack of air conditioning in many public schools. Many parents have questioned why schools have not yet installed them.

On September 4, the Education Department of Kaifu District, Changsha, in central China's Hunan Province, said that current policies, electricity capacity, and financial constraints did not support the installation of air conditioners in all classrooms. A staff member from a school in the district added that none of the primary schools in Kaifu District are equipped with air conditioners, and the decision to install them requires comprehensive consideration by the education authorities.

Similarly, a staff member from the Education Bureau of Qingyang District, Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, explained that based on the construction standards for ordinary primary and secondary schools, air conditioning was not included in the initial planning. Installing AC units now would require upgrading the school's electrical capacity and installing dedicated power lines, which needed special funding from the government and finance departments, a lengthy process that could not be expedited.