Chinese schoolchildren forced to take part in sports event in downpour while teachers ‘sheltered under umbrellas’
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 27 October, 2015, 1:18pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 27 October, 2015, 1:18pm
Andrea Chen
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The school in Xianyang in Shaanxi province where the games took place. Photo: SCMP Pictures
School pupils were forced to take part in a sports event during a huge downpour while the principal and teachers watched holding umbrellas, according to a newspaper report.
More than a thousand pupils watched or took part in the games in Xianyang in Shaanxi province last Friday and many later caught a cold after they were drenched, their parents told Xianyang Today.
It was just drizzling when the event started in the afternoon, but when hundreds of parents went to collect their children at about 8pm it was pouring with rain and security guard refused to let them in, the report said.
Parents also said they saw the school’s head and other staff sheltering under umbrellas.
A pupil was quoted as saying that some of his classmates wanted to the quit the games, but were stopped by security staff.
A teacher told the newspaper that the school did cut several events because of the heavy rain.
“Most of the time the administrators were not holding umbrellas,” the administrator was quoted as saying.
