Chinese school faces backlash for demanding students' family car details
School asked for parents' car brand, plate, and price—sparking outrage.
A secondary school in eastern China, Dongying No. 1 Middle School in Dongying, Shandong province, sparked public outrage after distributing an information collection form to newly admitted students in late June 2026. The form, reported by China Newsweek, required students to provide parents' names, workplaces, job titles, and mobile numbers. However, the most controversial part asked for details of parents' car—brand, plate number, and buying price. The school added a remark claiming the vehicle data was "only for the school's internal use" and urged parents to fill it in without worry.
The information request quickly went viral on Chinese social media, with netizens condemning the move as an invasion of privacy and a tool for wealth discrimination. Critics argued it could lead to preferential treatment of wealthier students. Under public pressure, the local education authority ordered the school to immediately stop collecting such data and delete all previously gathered information. The incident highlights ongoing tensions around privacy and inequality in China's education system, where schools are increasingly scrutinized for practices that could reinforce class divides.
- Dongying No. 1 Middle School asked for parents' car brand, plate number, and buying price in addition to standard contact details.
- Public backlash on Chinese social media led the local education authority to order the school to halt data collection and delete all gathered information.
- Critics say the practice could enable wealth-based discrimination among students, raising privacy and equity concerns.
Why It Matters
School wealth data collection threatens student privacy and risks reinforcing class divides in education.