Students slammed as 'lazy' after female sanitation workers carry scholars over flooded campus

A group of university students in Guizhou Province have been slammed by furious netizens after photos emerged of middle-aged female sanitation workers carrying them across a rain-flooded campus.

The pictures were taken at Liupanshui Normal University, in Liupanshui City, on Thursday, after heavy downpours hit the area, around rush hour before and after classes.

As roads and pathways on the campus became inundated with water, benches were lined up for students to walk on. However, some of the students can be seen being carried by the university’s cleaners on their backs.

The photos soon drew the attention of Chinese netizens, who quickly criticized the students for being spoiled and lazy. One said the students should feel ashamed of themselves as they are not kindergarten children, and that the water was only ankle deep.

One boy, photographed, refused assistance at first because he felt he was too heavy. But one benevolent cleaner insisted and promptly put him on her back.

But not all students accepted a carry. Some students took off their socks and shoes and plodged across without any assistance, while some other students helped fellow scholars by piggybacking them over the rain-affected area.

One cleaner in the photos, surnamed Cai, said carrying the students was not a big deal as she considers the students just like her own children. "We volunteered to do so, I don't understand why many people on the Internet scold the students," she said.

A school official hit back at the social media critics and asked for more understanding of the situation, saying the sanitation workers should be praised for their efforts.