China School Student Forced To Write Self-Reflection Letter For Using Toilet At Night

A boarding school in China has become the center of controversy after incidents emerged of students being punished by staff for using the toilet at night. A student from Yundong Secondary School in Shanxi province, caught going to the washroom at 11:00 PM—15 minutes past curfew—was reprimanded. Following the incident's online exposure, the school faced backlash from the public, with many claiming it resembled a ‘prison’ due to its strict regulations.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing Beijing News, administrators forced the boy to write a “deep self-reflection” letter and distribute 1,000 photocopies of it to his classmates as punishment. Additionally, the school deducted five points from his class’s monthly discipline score.

An anonymous teacher also informed Beijing News that students are prohibited from walking around the dormitory after 10:45 PM, and there are restrictions on toilet usage. If a student needs to use the toilet after curfew, they reportedly must contact dorm administrators for permission, as reported by SCMP.

The student complied with the punishment and wrote the self-reflection essay, stating, “I have seriously breached the school rules, and going to the toilet in the evening not only disturbed other students’ sleep but also brought shame to my class.” He also apologized to his classmates and teachers, promising not to “repeat this behavior in the future.”

The incident gained traction on social media, sparking significant criticism of the school. In response to the outrage, the Education Department of Huairen asked the institute to reflect on its errors, as reported by SCMP. The education authority stated, “We instructed the school to learn from this incident and reflect on its errors. We told them to revise their discipline policies.”

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Furthermore, the department advised the school to engage with the boy compassionately and mandated a compensation of 100 yuan (approximately Rs 1,100) to cover the costs of copying the self-reflection essay.

In light of this incident, officials directed all schools in the city to implement appropriate and humane discipline policies to prevent a recurrence of the late-night bathroom issue.