Outrage in China after school's 'guilt education' exercise has students step on their parents' backs

The exercise, which organisers claimed was meant to help pupils understand 'gratitude' and 'responsibility' by feeling remorse for their parents’ sacrifices.

Authorities in central China’s Henan province launched an inquiry after a secondary school drew heavy criticism for a “guilt education” activity in which parents were made to kneel on the ground while students walked across their backs.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the incident occurred at a county-level secondary school reputed for its “international education” initiatives. The event, captured in a video that has since gone viral, showed parents on their knees as blindfolded students were guided to step over them while emotional music played in the background.

The exercise, which organisers claimed was meant to help pupils understand “gratitude” and “responsibility” by feeling remorse for their parents’ sacrifices, provoked widespread anger online once footage emerged. In the video, a host could be heard telling the students, “Go ahead,” as they cautiously walked forward.

Publicly available information suggested that the participants were first-year students, roughly 16 years old, who had recently joined the school. A post shared by one student online said that many pupils were unaware of who was part of the so-called bridge. “After removing her blindfold, one young woman realised she was stepping on her parents and immediately burst into tears,” the post read.

Another former student from the same institution claimed on social media that similar “guilt education” sessions had been held in previous years, adding that male students were also made to lie on the ground as part of the exercise. The revelation intensified criticism across Chinese platforms, with many netizens questioning the psychological impact of such practices and calling the incident “humiliating” and “deeply inappropriate.”

Following the backlash, the school released a formal apology, as reported by SCMP. The statement read, “This activity was spontaneously organised by two classes with parental consent, but its improper execution led to misunderstandings from many netizens, for which we apologise.” It further said the school would review its teaching methods and place greater emphasis on students’ psychological health.

The local Education Bureau confirmed that it had received multiple complaints about the incident and had opened an investigation. Officials stated that appropriate measures would be taken following the inquiry’s findings.