A heated debate has erupted across Chinese social media as parents and schools clash over the use of air conditioners in classrooms amid an intense, unseasonal heatwave. With temperatures soaring above 35°C in some of China’s hottest cities, the issue has sparked widespread concern, raising questions about student welfare and the responsibility of schools.
The controversy took off in Changsha, a southern city where local education authorities defended their decision not to install air conditioners, claiming it would help students “cultivate the spirit of hard work and endurance.” This response quickly drew ire online, where parents and netizens expressed their frustration with the reasoning behind denying students relief from the heat.
“Hard work and endurance? Can we please then ask the education bureau to work in 40-degree heat, then discuss whether this is the way to cultivate such spirit in children,” a user on the popular social platform Weibo retorted. Another wrote, “Global warming has become so serious. What do you want the children to do?”
Currently, most classrooms across China rely on ceiling fans, but calls to install air conditioners have grown louder in recent months. Lin Yujun, the father of a junior high school student in Guangdong, emphasized the toll the heat takes on academic performance, saying, “Without air conditioning, it would be challenging to concentrate on studying.”
Not all parents agree, however. Some are concerned that air-conditioned environments might increase the risk of illness among students, while others have proposed adjusting the academic calendar to account for the rising temperatures. “It was never so hot in September in previous years. Perhaps the education board can extend school holidays, according to the weather,” suggested a parent from Chongqing.
The debate over who should shoulder the cost has only added fuel to the fire. Schools remain hesitant to commit to the financial burden of air conditioning and its associated electricity bills. One primary school in Xiangtan stirred controversy by asking parents to fund the installation, a move that prompted backlash and eventually led the local education bureau to order the school to reimburse the families.
Despite the financial hurdles, many argue that the comfort and well-being of students should take precedence. “Now that [authorities] have stopped parents from contributing, when will school students be able to use air conditioners under such persistently high temperatures?” wrote Long Zhi Zhu, a commentator for local outlet The Paper. A Weibo user added, “Ultimately, the children are the ones who suffer.”
With the heatwave showing no signs of abating, some schools have resorted to creative methods, placing large blocks of ice in classrooms to bring down the temperature. Others, like schools in Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces, postponed the start of the autumn semester by a week to shield students from the extreme heat.
Earlier this year, China’s weather bureau warned of increasingly severe and prolonged heatwaves, predicting that maximum temperatures could rise by up to 2.8°C in the next three decades. As climate change intensifies, the battle over classroom air conditioning may only be the beginning of larger discussions on how schools, parents, and the government can adapt to a hotter future.