Student deserves to be punished

Social justice demands that He Chuanyang, the top liberal arts student in Chongqing who faked his ethnic identity to get bonus points in the college entrance exam, be punished. And his father should be punished more severely for abusing power, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpt:

He Chuanyang, Chongqing's top liberal arts student, faked his ethnic identity to get minority bonus points in the national college entrance exam. His father, He Yeda, was the director of Wushan county's admission office in Chongqing. After the scandal came to light, He Yeda claimed that his son had secured 659 marks without any bonus points, which is still the highest in Chongqing.

But who should be punished more for the crime: the boy or his parents?

There's no doubt He Chuanyang deserves punishment. The national policy is clear: students who falsely claim to be members of minority ethnic groups should be disqualified from getting admitted to college. The policy is not only important to maintain fairness in college entrance exams, but also for social competition rules.

The parents who abused their power to push their son's career, too, should be punished to stop other officials from taking advantage of their posts.

(China Daily 07/01/2009 page9)