Students give their teachers handmade certificates of merits to express their gratitude on Thursday, Teachers' Day, at a primary school in Handan, Hebei province. HAO QUNYING /CHINA DAILY

A group of?middle-school students in Bozhou, East China's Anhui province, refused to hand in their examination papers to an invigilator and even attacked him. The school authorities' response has been to ask the two parties to apologize to each other. China Youth Daily commented on Wednesday:

The Bozhou incident was not an isolated case. Recent years have seen quite a few incidents of students creating brawls in exam halls and invigilators trying to defend themselves. That's why it is puzzling that the Bozhou school authorities asked the teacher to apologize to the students.

The authorities have ignored the difference between right and wrong and hurt the teacher's professional dignity.

The "solution" has also exposed the authorities' ignorance of the basic rules of education. The teacher-student relationship has been equated with that between consumers and service providers, which is worse than violating the interests of teachers.

Based on the understanding of the concept of equal rights, it has become a general consensus to build some kind of teacher-student relationship. However, equality of persons in education does not mean teachers and students have equal powers and rights. Teachers and students cannot be equals when it comes to teaching and examinations, especially in schools where minors are students.

Although teachers and students are equal as human beings, students are under the guardianship of the teachers in schools.

As guarding authorities, teachers have the right to discipline students. This power is not only justified, but also necessary. Because minors are intellectually and physically immature, they often fail to properly recognize their own interests. Indulging wayward students will actually have a negative impact on their own growth.