Soochow University in east China's Jiangsu Province has granted pregnant
students who are legally married maternity leave to bring college regulations
further in line with the new Marriage Law, reported nen.com.cn Monday.
Third-year Tianjin Normal University student Wang Yang (L)
and Liu Hang, who is employed in Tianjin, wave at their wedding on May 1,
2004. Wang is reportedly the first college student to knot in the city.
[newsphoto] |
China's Ministry of Education lifted the ban on college students getting
married on March 29, 2005. Currently students of legal age no longer have to ask
for permission from their university when they plan to tie the knot.
According to Soochow University's new regulations, married student mothers
can file applications to ask for maternity leave and resume their studies after
they deliver. In the past, pregnant women were not allowed to be students.
The green light on maternity leave lit up other disputes, and whether the
expense of giving birth should be covered by campus medicare is among the top
concerns.
The education authorities in Jiangsu Province believe that more questions
concerning related topics, such as marriage leave and the hukou, a registered
permanent residence of campus born babies, will follow.
On March 24 2005, Wang Hongjie was married on campus and was expelled from
Mudanjiang Medical College for pregnancy shortly before her graduation. Wang
filed a lawsuit against the college and was able to return to her studies after
reconciliation was reached in a second trial on February 27 last
year.