By reporter YIN Shuyue and intern LI Mubin of our newspaper (text and photos)
The Shuiyuan Street Primary School in Xinhua District was the first school safety project renovation after the Wenchuan earthquake in Shijiazhuang. With efforts from all sides, the new campus costing tens of millions yuan and taking two years to build has finally been completed. On September 1st this year when the school opened, more than 900 primary school students who were studying elsewhere could finally move back "home" (our newspaper on April 21st reported the matter of over a thousand students studying outside under the title "Building not finished, over a thousand students study outside for 2 years"). Who would have thought that just 15 days into the start of school, the newly built wall of the school was forcibly demolished by an excavator, forcing the students to stop classes collectively.
Event: New school wall is pushed down
On the morning of September 16th, I arrived at the Shuiyuan Street Primary School located on Shuiyuan Street in Xinhua District. In stark contrast to my previous visits, the newly constructed teaching building was spacious and bright with relatively complete teaching facilities. However, the situation north of the school gate was extremely disharmonious with the newly built campus: a large section of the northern wall had collapsed, bricks scattered on the ground, and a large segment of the wrought iron railing adjacent to Shuiyuan Street had also cracked open.
Principal Yang of Shuiyuan Street Primary School stated that the incident occurred around 21:00 on September 15th. "At the time, I and Vice Principal Sun responsible for school safety were on duty when we suddenly heard the roar of a large machine outside. Upon inspection, we found a large bulldozer pushing down the school wall."
Upon seeing this, the two school leaders immediately called the police while attempting to intervene. "A tall man shouted at me 'stay away, do you have family? Be careful'," said Vice Principal Sun. When she confronted them, the man claimed he was from the Forestry Bureau Dormitory next door.
Parents: Students' safety no longer guaranteed
"The school's original buildings became dangerous structures, so all the students were divided into several groups studying in multiple elementary schools outside. Now, the new school building has finally been completed, but unexpectedly the wall has been torn down again." It was understood that there are more than 900 elementary school students in the school, and many parents are extremely worried about their children's safety. "Without the wall, if someone bad enters the campus through the gap in the wall, how can the students' safety be ensured?"
After the incident, the school authorities reported the matter to relevant higher departments step by step and arranged for teachers to take turns guarding the breach. "We cannot let anything happen to even one child."
School: The wall might have been demolished due to a passage dispute
When asked about the reason for the demolition of the wall, Principal Yang of Shuiyuan Street Primary School said it might be related to the passage outside the school's north wall. "The school was rebuilt on its original site, and the reconstruction was approved by relevant departments. However, some people believe that the wall occupies too much of the north passage." Principal Yang mentioned that they faced multiple obstructions during the construction of the wall. Director Liu of the local community committee confirmed: "The wall of Shuiyuan Street Primary School was indeed reconstructed on its original site without occupying any more space than before."
I observed at the north side of the school's wall that the east-west passage was three meters wide, and the Forestry Bureau Dormitory was inside the passage.
When I inquired with multiple residents and office staff of the Forestry Bureau Dormitory adjacent to the school, they all claimed ignorance of the matter and did not know who demolished the wall. "With the loss of student safety guarantees, we have no choice but to suspend all classes," said Principal Yang helplessly.
Department: Relevant departments are investigating
In the afternoon of September 16th, I contacted the Forestry Bureau, where the office staff claimed ignorance of the matter.
It was learned that this incident has drawn attention from the Gexin Street Office and the Gexin Street Police Station. During my interview, relevant staff members and the police had already come to the scene to investigate the situation.
Just as I was about to leave Shuiyuan Street Primary School after concluding the interview, Deputy Secretary Chen in charge of educational work at the Xinhua District Committee specially rushed to the scene to investigate the situation. "This is unacceptable! How can such extreme measures be taken against a special place like a school?" Deputy Secretary Chen said that after preliminary investigations, they will actively negotiate with relevant departments to resolve the issue as soon as possible.