4ft 7in trainee teacher in China falls short of diploma because of her height
University blames rules enforced by the province’s education department for refusing to pass the student, four years after she enrolled
A province in China is considering abolishing height requirements for teachers after a student with an education degree was denied her teaching qualification because she is less than 1.5 metres (4ft 11in) tall, a state news website has reported.
The student, who is 1.4 metres tall and was identified only by her surname of Li, was told she had failed the teaching qualification test after a medical examination in mid June, according to Cnwest.com on Wednesday.
Female applicants should be at least 1.5 metres tall and males 1.55 metres to become qualified teachers in the central Chinese province of Shaanxi, the education department’s rules state.
“My four years in college will be for nothing and I may even breach the tuition waiver agreement with the school if I cannot get the teaching qualification,” Li was quoted as saying. She was admitted as an English major student at Shaanxi Normal University in 2014.
Students who enrol for teaching degrees in certain universities and sign contracts to become teachers in public schools after graduation receive full scholarship, which covers their tuition fee and living expenses, the report said.
“The university should have informed me four years ago when I was admitted,” Li was quoted as saying.