A primary school in Beijing is relying on chance as the new semester begins, the Beijing Evening News reported.

Each class usually designates a student to be the monitor, or one who will help the teacher with assigned tasks. This year, Hai Te Hua Yuan primary school used a drawing to select monitors to give all of the students a fair chance.

Numbers assigned to students were placed in a box before the opening ceremony on Thursday morning. The principal drew one lucky number for each grade, leaving to chance which students would be monitors for the first week of school. In the following weeks, other students will take turns being monitors.

The school may alter the tradition that only students with good grades have the opportunity to monitors.

But drawing for monitors is also a double-edged sword. Students who are incapable of taking charge of the class might lose confidence during the process, which should be taken into consideration, said psychological consultant Wen Fang.

By Chen Yingqun