Why A Girl, 6, Was Made To Do Dishes For 20 Days In China Kindergarten

A 6-year-old girl in China was made to wash dishes in her kindergarten for 20 days. When her father complained about it, the girl was expelled for not following the school's rules. The father uploaded a video on the Chinese social media website saying that his daughter was made to wash 25 kids' dishes for 20 days. Do you know the reason behind this? The school said that it wanted to make the girl "tough". 

As per the South China Morning Post, the father said that his daughter used to arrive home drenched in sweat and tired and would often say she didn't want to go to kindergarten. "One night, she woke up in the middle of the night and said, 'Daddy, I don't want to go to kindergarten anymore. I'm too tired from washing dishes. While other kids were playing, I was left alone to wash the dishes" he added. 

Details Of The Incident 

The father, who goes by the surname Yu and belongs to Tongliao in Inner Mongolia in northern China, described his daughter's teacher as malicious. He said, "The kindergarten's justification was that they wanted to toughen up my kid. They also claimed that she was too 'lively' and she would only have a nap when she was tired." 

The kindergarten on the other hand has stated that it will take legal action against the girl's father for spreading false information about the school and destroying its reputation. The legal advisor of the school has said that the school has not indulged in any illegal. It has the right to expel a child if she fails to follow the rules and regulations. 

The local education authority announced on November 23 that it will investigate the matter. 

While we are still waiting for the investigation to proceed, is it not heartbreaking to see how a girl's education is being hampered? Is it not sad how the school is more interested in 'toughening' the girl through the wrong means and protecting its reputation? Why must girls be subjected to unfair things in educational institutes? Why should the girl wash dishes to be tough? Would the same exercise be followed if the child was a boy? 

The gender of women often comes in the middle of their good education. While this is the case of a girl being made to wash dishes rather than indulging in proper educational activities, we have seen cases of women being raped and assaulted in schools. Often we come across cases of PhD candidates being sexually harassed by their advisors. Or a female student being harassed by her tutor. 

Examples are many but the question that remains is why. Why do girls have to face such hurdles in education? Is education, not their birthright? Do they have to trade their self-respect to be properly educated? It is time we think about it and take action.