On how WeChat groups can go wrong

Students from a university in Zhejiang Province vented their frustrations online recently on issues relating to the school.

Their university had set up a parent-teacher WeChat group to keep the parents informed of their children’s class attendance, test scores, rewards and punishments. Some of the students reacted by saying that the university had probably drawn inspiration from primary schools and kindergartens, and questioned whether such a move was appropriate for university-level students. The university said it was necessary because some of the students were found playing games in dormitories and skipping classes, and the schools, society and parents were all responsible for the students’ education.

Parent-teacher WeChat groups are common in the middle and primary schools as a means of communication between parents and teachers. But it is rare in colleges. That is why the university’s action has sparked controversy.

Currently, the relationship between universities and parents in China is probably not good enough. Arguably, there’s no such relationship, as most parents have no idea how their children spend four years in colleges. From this perspective, creating WeChat groups to connect colleges and parents is commendable.

In addition, the university in question also said that teachers will not divulge students’ wrongdoings in the WeChat groups. Even if it is related to rewards and punishments, names will be concealed. Private information like transcripts will not be posted either. It’s safe to say that this university knows where the boundary is. However, universities still need to tread carefully if they want to replicate the parent-class WeChat groups.

For one thing, the parent-class WeChat groups in primary and middle schools are now seeing a backlash. Some groups have turned into a rowdy theater, where parents resort to bootlicking teachers, in the hope that their overdramatic antics may win their children special treatment. This not only fails to improve the school-parent relationship, but also creates more problems. The universities may mean well in creating the WeChat groups, but they need to be careful to ensure that the chats don’t get “distorted” like those in primary and middle schools.

Adult students management

The main reason why the parent-class WeChat groups in colleges prompted controversy is that many tend to ask: Are college students treated like adults by their schools? The WeChat group has long been perceived as something exclusive to kindergartens and primary schools. Its existence is predicated on the fact that children in kindergartens and primary schools cannot take care of themselves.

Thus the schools call for parents’ participation and cooperation. But if colleges involve parents every now and then, it may impede students’ subjectivity and obscure the distinction between university education and that of primary and middle school.

Chinese universities are known for their “hard to enter, easy to exit” system. Some universities have low academic standards and high graduation rates. Once students make it through the grueling college entrance exam, or gaokao, they are practically guaranteed college degrees. Many students are found slacking or lacking motivation in their studies.

Some universities are already trying to make a difference by putting pressure on students. It is not known yet whether setting up the chat groups has anything to do with it, but it is not so different from some other approaches, such as requesting parents’ signatures if students ask for leave, and stipulating that students have to clock in and out every day.

It remains to be seen if these measures actually make universities “hard to exit.” But they do not bring anything new, and are, at best, the continuation of student management in primary and middle schools.

Undoubtedly, education at all stages requires joint efforts from schools, society and parents. But it does not mean this has to be exercised indiscriminately. As for college education, one of its priorities is to cultivate students’ self-management and learning capacity. It calls for universities and parents to strike a balance between “letting go,” educating and supervising. If a university invites parents’ intervention every time it aims to strengthen student management, it not only dodges its own responsibility, but also dwarfs the essence of college education.

To improve the relationship between universities and parents, both attempts and innovations are needed. But tightening supervision on students should not be the sole approach. Only by treating college students as adults in both education and management can colleges nurture real talent.

This article is adapted from a report in Guangming Daily on January 13.