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Smashed phones decorate school gate

Nowadays, everybody's glued to their mobiles, but not the students at a high school in Wuhan, Hubei Province, where phones are banned. Local news portal cnhubei.com reported on Wednesday that teachers smash violators' phones with hammers, and that 24, including expensive smartphones, have been shattered so far.

The remains of the fallen phones are kept in display cases at the entrance to the teaching building, along with a sign warning students not to bring phones to school. The school claims that the move is good for the students' academic performance as the mobile phones had been previously distracting their attention in class.

News of the rule went viral online, as some felt the rule was too severe and that it's acceptable for students to have phones, while others supported the school's move.

 "The rule and the move are necessary because many students are obsessed with their phones and cannot concentrate on studying, and the students' lack self control," Niuniu-life said.

Many Web users agreed that the purpose of the school is good but the practice of the rule is outrageous.

"The practice completely wastes resources and money. There is no need to smash the phones; the school should just confiscate the phones and return to students after they graduate," Liuxiaocai-red said. 

"The school has no legal right to smash the phones of students, as it breaches their property rights," one Web user posted, garnering many responses.

Some netizens felt that there is no connection between the phones and academic performance, saying that cellphones are only tools for communication and students may still need them to talk to their parents in an emergency.

Chengguan jobs attract eager applicants

China's  chengguan, or urban management officials, are an unpopular lot both online and in real life. But competition for chengguan posts in Shanghai has become a hot job, attracting hundreds of applicants who are highly educated, Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post reported on Thursday.

A total of 16 applicants of the 60 who got into the final round of the interview have master degrees, including one from the UK's Lancaster University, and the other 44 all have bachelor degrees.

"It's a pity that the only thing that comes into their mind during job hunting is stability, instead of public interest or other high goal," one user wrote, echoing a common view online.

However, some netizens felt that the new blood could improve the chengguan's image.

Global Times