Gift Giving on Teacher's Day: Bribery or Appreciation?
Teacher's Day in China has become more like a Teacher's Birthday. That's because parents are now lavishing their children's teachers with gifts—expensive gifts. Some Chinese teachers can now expect things ranging from flowers to paid vacations, depending on how much parents can afford. And if the teacher doesn't like the gifts, the student may be the one who suffers.
One mother from Shanxi Province told NTD she learned that the hard way.
[Ruan Li, Mother of a Shanxi student]:
"He (the teacher) had been making it hard for my son. He kept my son after class and asked for a meeting with the parents. When I met with him he said he would suspend my son. The administrator couldn't figure out what was wrong, and suggested that I should buy something for the teacher. I didn't though. "
Teacher's Day was historically celebrated on the birthday of Confucius, an ancient Chinese sage. The Communist Party scrapped the celebration after taking power, and later reinstated Teacher's Day to be September 10th. Traditionally the Day was used to show appreciation for teachers, now it's taken on a different turn.
[Guo Quanfang, Teacher at University of Jinan in Shandong Province]:
"Parents are afraid that if others send gifts and they don't, their kids will be treated differently. Many not only send flowers, but also gift cards."
Parents now use the day to influence their children's teachers. While most gifts range between $15 to $95 in value, some having a price tag of over $2,000.
Not all teachers are comfortable with this trend, warning it's not setting a good example for students.
[Zhu Xinxin, Part Time Teacher]:
"From a very young age now, the kids are being affected by this commercial relationship. It is soul damaging and has adverse effects on the development of the children. "
According to a survey by state-run China National Radio, 70% of parents say they will give gifts on teacher's day. In a 2010 survey by China Youth Daily 60% of 4,083 parents said they were in favor of legislation banning gift giving on Teacher's Day.
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One mother from Shanxi Province told NTD she learned that the hard way.
[Ruan Li, Mother of a Shanxi student]:
"He (the teacher) had been making it hard for my son. He kept my son after class and asked for a meeting with the parents. When I met with him he said he would suspend my son. The administrator couldn't figure out what was wrong, and suggested that I should buy something for the teacher. I didn't though. "
Teacher's Day was historically celebrated on the birthday of Confucius, an ancient Chinese sage. The Communist Party scrapped the celebration after taking power, and later reinstated Teacher's Day to be September 10th. Traditionally the Day was used to show appreciation for teachers, now it's taken on a different turn.
[Guo Quanfang, Teacher at University of Jinan in Shandong Province]:
"Parents are afraid that if others send gifts and they don't, their kids will be treated differently. Many not only send flowers, but also gift cards."
Parents now use the day to influence their children's teachers. While most gifts range between $15 to $95 in value, some having a price tag of over $2,000.
Not all teachers are comfortable with this trend, warning it's not setting a good example for students.
[Zhu Xinxin, Part Time Teacher]:
"From a very young age now, the kids are being affected by this commercial relationship. It is soul damaging and has adverse effects on the development of the children. "
According to a survey by state-run China National Radio, 70% of parents say they will give gifts on teacher's day. In a 2010 survey by China Youth Daily 60% of 4,083 parents said they were in favor of legislation banning gift giving on Teacher's Day.
For more news and videos visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C