A middle school in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, has released new school rules that include some that are strange and overly strict, such as students cannot share QQ instant messaging accounts with the opposite gender. The school, though well-intentioned, has infringed on the rights of students and such rules may not achieve the results the school authorities expect, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Influenced by the environment they live in, children nowadays are more mentally mature than their ancestors. Society needs reflect on the fact that teenagers are exposed to popular culture that is full of love stories, and the corresponding supervision should also not lag behind.

It is such a twisted cultural environment that has made our children "prematurely enlightened", and of course this inevitably leads to campus puppy love. Faced with such a reality, schools have to do some follow-up work, such as providing proper guidance, instead of racking their brains for strange and ineffective moves.

Such a rule mirrors the lack of effective education methods. Schools should be places that specialize in teaching and guiding, rather than forbidding students to do what the schools do not want to see. Besides, students deserve to know what they should know at this age and guidance should be offered them on how to deal with relationships and maintain normal friendships.

It is inappropriate to forbid boys and girls from eating together at the canteen or adding each other as contacts on QQ because they need to get homework help or share study notes.

In all, the school authorities should be more humanized and open-minded while making rules and guiding students rather than treating their normal communication like a dreadful disaster.

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