Commenting on the national anthem by the third high school student in Choo County, protesting against the lack of air conditioning in the dormitory: Why does a life claim have to be expressed through political symbols?

September 8th, account X <a href="https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/2097324081553276999"Target" = "Noopener noreferrer" data-linked-reference = "tru" data-reference-label = "X" post: "Senior Li is not your teacher" from the Tsao County Secondary School. "Student Lee is not your teacher" live video, "/a" and the Shandong Sutsai Tsao Secondary School has gathered students on the night of September 7th. The contribution stated that the dormitory was banned the same night, that students were difficult to sleep in high-temperature conditions, that a large number of students went out of the dormitory and sing the national anthem in groups and that police officers were present after the scene. The existing video can support the basic fact that “singing by groups of students during the night”, but the school, the department of education in Cao County and the police have not so far publicly explained the air conditioner management, the reasons for the police presence and the subsequent disposal.

This incident was first and foremost a campus life management dispute, not a political one. The students ' requests for improvement of night accommodation should have been addressed through the residential care, classroom director, school administration and education authorities. It is really worth commenting on, not what the students sing, but what was originally a problem that could be solved through administrative procedures in schools, and why it eventually turns into a public event that requires a group out of the dormitory to express its claims through the national anthem.

When ordinary life claims must be expressed by the most politically legitimate national symbols, it is no longer just the management of dormitories, but the student ' s judgement as to the effectiveness of the normal channels of appeal.

The first time that a residential dispute has arisen

The situation in the province of Cao San has recently been of concern in connection with the conditions of accommodation. Late in August, several mainland media reported that a dormitory of girls in building 4 of the school had wall-walls and wall-skins and lockers broken. The school subsequently stated that the room had been assessed as “unsuitable” because of water leaks in the adjacent water room, but had been misplaced to students because of the stress of the accommodation and the dormitories had since been adjusted. The staff of the Department of Education and Sports of Cao County also indicated at that time that they had been approached by specialists.

This background does not directly support the causal link between the air conditioner dispute of 7 September and the previous accommodation problem, but at least indicates that the accommodation conditions and the management of the accommodation have become an open and realistic issue for the school before and after the start of the new semester. showing the highest temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius during the day of 7 September in Cao County; For densely populated and limited ventilation dormitories, the temperature of nighttime body and indoor ventilation clearly requires specific school specifications.

Why the students chose to sing the national anthem

In China, where labour, owners, depositors and school defenders are present, the national anthem, the flag and official political symbols such as “in the service of the people” are frequently found. Such an expression cannot be simply understood as “politicizing” the issue of life by the participants. Rather, it is often a way of proactively emphasizing the legitimacy of their claims: participants, through nationally endorsed symbols, have stated that their goal is to demand solutions to specific problems rather than challenging national order.

This option is of particular concern for under-age students. Students often lack the resources to organize independently and have difficulty in having the capacity to consult with their counterparts. When they believe that normal reflections cannot change the situation immediately, collective action can be a way to magnify claims, while the national anthem is a means of expression that reduces political risk and reinforces legitimacy. If students must first prove themselves “fully right” to be able to secure a dormitory environment that allows for normal rest, this is in itself a sign of reflection on school governance.

The presence of police cannot be directly described as “repression”, but an explanation is needed

The present submission states that the police later arrived at the school, but that there is insufficient evidence to determine the specific purpose of the police presence and to prove that enforcement has taken place. Thus, it would be more than evidence to describe this link directly as “police repression of students”. The more professional question should be whether the police are to maintain order at the request of the school or to deal with other matters of law and order; (a) Whether anyone has been taken away; Whether there was a conflict on the ground; When the police leave.

The facts that really require public answers include at least the following:

• Whether and on what basis the opening of air conditioning is prohibited in the evening of 7 September in the dormitories;
• Whether students have previously addressed the high temperature to the boarder, the classroom director or the school;
• Is there a uniform air conditioner open time, electricity fee or safety management rule in schools;
• Why the police enter the school and whether law enforcement measures are taken;
• Whether the school has adjusted air-conditioning and accommodation management arrangements after the incident.

Management cannot only require obedience, but must also be able to explain

Schools certainly need dormitory discipline and have the right to establish rules for air conditioning electricity, safety and pacing. But the legitimacy of the rules does not stem from the students ' compliance, but from the reasonableness, openness, access and willingness of the administrators to explain the rules themselves. Especially on issues that directly affect the health and sleep of students, such as high temperatures and stress in accommodation, schools should have clear emergency and feedback mechanisms.

The facts surrounding the incident in Cao San County remain to be verified, and therefore it is not possible to write all the web accounts directly to the conclusion. However, it has been confirmed that the video has raised concerns and that the management of the school ' s accommodation has been publicly contested. If the issue of an ordinary accommodation situation can only eventually be brought to the attention of the outside world through a large gathering, then, regardless of the final explanation of the school, this suggests that the existing communication mechanism has not succeeded in at least preventing the escalation of the conflict.

Focus China believes that the national anthem should not be the “protector” of ordinary people when they defend their rights. A more normal state of school governance should allow students to speak directly about “hot and unsustainable dormitories” and to be answered through a transparent process without first packaging their own life claims into a politically impeccable expression.