Hats off to parents of freshmen

To get their children admitted to universities, an increasing number of non-local parents spend the nights in university gyms to save money. So instead of delivering hollow opening day speech describing the amazing life that awaits them on campuses, students should thank their parents for taking pains to ensure that they get good education, says an article in Wuhan Evening News. Excerpts:

To accommodate non-local parents who cannot afford to pay hostel charges or hotel tariff, some higher education institutions such as Tianjin University have been opening their gyms and pitching tents on their campuses for the past few years. The Central China Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei province, went a step further this year by offering free bedding, including bedsheets and quilts, to hundreds of parents in an air-conditioned gym.

Parents who choose to spend the night in a gym are usually short of money, and take pains to send their children to study in universities. Therefore, the children of such mothers and fathers should be under greater moral obligation of their parents. But what we usually see is that such students enjoy their first day on the campus with their peers while leaving their parents in a gym.

It is pointless to discuss whether parents should accompany their children during enrollment. But at least the students could show some gratitude toward their parents by keeping them company in the gym at night.

The universities would do a great social service if they taught such students to be more considerate toward their parents, because it will help them to encounter the interpersonal problems that await them in their later life.