Guiyang’s “American School Buses” For Teachers, Not Students

Last week, a large truck collided with a small minibus in Gansu province of China carrying over 60 preschool and kindergarten children on their way to school. The small minivan that was used as a school bus was only designed for 9 passengers and a total of 21 people died including 19 schoolchildren.

This past weekend, government officials announced that every Gansu school bus accident victim will be compensated 436,000 yuan.

Throughout this, many Chinese netizens have pointed to school buses in the Ubnited States and how safe they are compared to “school buses” in China.

From NetEase, ifeng, and Sohu:

Guiyang’s 5 “American-style school buses” only pick up teachers, not students

Summary: The Guizhou province Guiyang city Jinyang New District management committee purchased 5 “American-style school buses”, but what has surprised people is that these 5 school buses were not actually used to transport students but instead to pick up and drop off teachers from work. Jinyang New District Education Bureau stated that many teachers live in Guiyang’s Old City District, and that it was necessary to guarantee that teachers could arrive at school on time every day for class.

These “American-style school buses” each cost 390,000 yuan

The vehicle has an emergency exit door.

Inside the school bus, every seat has seat belts.

Comments from NetEase:

lbg224522 [网易广西南宁市网友]:

Nowadays teachers begin instruction every day starting with the word “money”.

刘炳琨团长万岁 [网易河北省保定市网友]:

The lofty and aloof government leaders have applied the practice of stratification by level onto each and every aspect of society, and brother [referring to self] is sincerely awed.

跟帖局副局长 [网易广东省深圳市网友]：

Must be substitute teachers! The Deputy Director of the Education Bureau will be suspended! I bet it is definitely going to unfold this way!

[This is joking about temporary workers and that the government official in the “deputy” or “vice” position takes the fall.]

龌龊司机兄弟 [网易黑龙江省网友]：

However much suffering there is, we can’t let the government leaders suffer.

rubbishfighting [网易广东省深圳市网友]:

We can’t say that teachers shouldn’t be allowed to ride, but can we assign a few [school buses] to the students?

点你死穴i [网易河南省郑州市网友]：

Truly characteristic [of China].

网易江苏省苏州市网友:

As it should be, very much the conditions/situation of our country.

qs3407 [网易上海市网友]:

They don’t attach importance to medical care, because they have special wards for government cadres; They don’t attach importance to education, because their children study abroad; They don’t attach importance to food safety, because they have specially provided food products; They don’t attach importance to traffic congestion, because they have police to open the road for them; They don’t attach importance to the country’s future, because their wives and children have already emigrated to the United States! They attach importance to stability, because they are afraid of losing these things! This what our government leaders are like! Able to buy all the world’s airplanes, yet can’t afford a single school bus; Able to send satellites into space, yet unable to build a single small bridge; Able to give other countries hundreds of millions to spend, yet unwilling to build a few more primary schools; Able to spend several tens of aircraft carriers worth of money on dining, yet force children to donate their lunch money. Truly taking the material resources of the Chinese people, the hardships of 1.3 billion people, for the enjoyment of the few. There’s nothing that can be said, one can only force a laugh. Does the Gansu kindergarten school bus accident result in the loss of life or the loss of the people’s hearts?

网易浙江省嘉兴市网友 [史麦客]:

We have to start with the actual situation when looking at a problem, and not jump to conclusions.

We must see if it was the teachers who demanded to ride this kind of vehicle or if it was the unilateral decision of the school’s leadership. If it is the former, it isn’t too late to condemn and punish these teachers, but if it is the latter, then who we should condemn and punish ought to be the school’s leadership for their stupid and foolish decision rather than condemning and punishing those innocent teachers.

网易浙江省温州市网友 [笑你笑你]:

A society that doesn’t respect teachers cannot be said to value its students [children].

网易广西网友: (responding to above)

Stick with the issue, so teachers not having a vehicle to pick them up and drop them off for work is called not respecting teachers? When so many people go to and get off from work by themselves, only when teachers enjoy “transport to and from work” treatment can they be said to be respected?