Students are having class in a small class at the Luxiang Experimental Primary School in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. [Photo: Changjiang Times]

A primary school in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, received complaints from parents over its two-size class system, which has allegedly caused pupil injustices.

The Luxiang Experimental Primary School adopted the two-size class system 5 years ago, a parent told the Changjiang Times.

Each small class has around thirty students, half the number of an ordinary class, who study in a classroom equipped with air conditioning and a TV set. Students in the small class follow a schedule different from the ordinary class — they are at school from 7:50 am to 5:30 pm, much longer than their schoolmates.

The small class charges 1,200 yuan (163 US dollars) more per semester than the ordinary class.

Furthermore, a student won't be allowed to attend the class until they pass special tests.

The two-size class system employed by the school is actually a rating system, some parents argued, inspiring in the children unhealthy attitudes, either of superiority or inferiority.

A school official surnamed Han said the small class can be seen as a trial, as student numbers have been declining in recent years, a result of the nation’s Family Planning policy implemented in the late 1970s.

More importantly, with the different schedule, the small class helps busy parents look after their children. In fact, the special tests are not required, and the parents have to apply for the small class for their children, stated Han.

Students in the two kinds of classes read the same books. However, the small class charges higher fees for the equipment and the labor force necessary for the different schedule.

The disadvantages of the small class outweigh the advantages, said Shi Renbing, a professor in sociology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. It causes injustice among the students as well as pressures upon the parents.