by Silvia Torriti

In Wuhan, a call for teachers to turn up at dawn to inspect vegetables for school canteens sparked a protest. But among the non-teaching tasks assigned to teachers is also the requirement to ‘like’ posts from public accounts on social media. Meanwhile, an increasing number of schools are turning to the ready-meal market, which the Party has identified as one of the key sectors to be promoted in the economy.

Milan (AsiaNews) – Despite current regulations penalising this type of behaviour, teachers in Chinese primary and secondary schools continue to be overburdened with non-teaching duties. This is demonstrated by what happened a few weeks ago in some schools in the city of Wuhan, where teachers were reportedly even obliged to collect and inspect vegetables destined for their schools’ canteens in the early hours of the morning.

Upon hearing the news, the city’s online discussion forum was flooded with indignant comments from users, to the extent that local authorities were prompted to publicly clarify the situation.

However, the authorities reportedly limited themselves to downplaying the incident, stating that the task of inspecting the vegetables was in fact assigned on a voluntary basis, and that, in any case, the practice had been discontinued.

Assigning teachers tasks that do not fall within their remit is, in fact, contrary to the provisions of the “Plan for Building a Nation with a Strong Education System (2024–2035)”, published in January 2025 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, which emphasises that teachers’ dignity and legitimate rights must be safeguarded and that the volume of non-teaching work must be reduced.

In accordance with the “Plan”, a few months later the General Office of the Ministry of Education issued the Notice on various measures to further reduce the non-teaching workload of primary and secondary school teachers, which prioritises strengthening the system for monitoring and evaluating teachers’ work, for which local administrative bodies are responsible.

Although indicative of the government’s efforts to improve teachers’ working conditions, these policies have encountered various difficulties in their implementation. According to surveys, 52 per cent of teachers have not yet noticed any significant changes in their workload.

And so, in addition to the invisible workload – which includes, for example, lesson preparation, marking tests, administrative tasks and communicating with pupils’ parents – they continue to be burdened with tasks that have little to do with their role as educators. Among these, the most common are following public accounts and sharing or ‘liking’ their posts, taking photographs, monitoring the natural landscape, keeping an eye on the streets, and taking part in town celebrations, shows or exhibitions.

Recent surveys show that non-teaching activities take up an average of 34 per cent of their working days, from Monday to Friday, and that as many as 20 per cent of them spend more time on these tasks than on teaching. As a result, they are often forced to stay at their desks beyond their working hours, spending between 8 and 10 hours a day at school.

The case of Wuhan is significant, not only because it is emblematic of the precarious position of Chinese teachers, but also because it highlights another issue that has long plagued the education sector in China: food safety in school canteens.

The fact that teachers have been deprived of their rest periods to carry out extra duties is not in itself new. What should give pause for thought is that these hours were spent inspecting food intended for the canteens. This necessity stems from the deep concern surrounding the quality of meals served in schools, an issue to which the Chinese public remains highly attuned.

In recent years, reports of food poisoning and food scandals on school campuses have, in fact, appeared quite frequently in the headlines of Chinese newspapers.

Just a year ago, over 200 children at a nursery school in north-western China tested positive for abnormally high levels of lead in their blood, due to the use of paint as a food colouring by kitchen staff. Although the packaging was clearly labelled ‘not for consumption’, the headteacher reportedly authorised the use of the toxic substance it contained anyway, in order to attract more enrolments and boost revenue through the sale of coloured food.

In September 2024, more than 100 pupils and staff at a secondary school in south-western China were infected with salmonella after eating meals in the canteen. An inspection revealed that several factors may have contributed to the spread of the harmful bacteria, such as poor hygiene in the kitchen, incorrect food storage, and the failure to wear gloves and face masks whilst preparing meals.

Exactly one year earlier, it was the introduction of pre-cooked meals on school campuses that sparked protests from parents. Having developed rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese ready-meal market grew by 21% in 2025, reaching 419.6 billion yuan (57.4 billion dollars), and is forecast to expand further in the coming years. This surge was undoubtedly fuelled by the endorsement of the highest Party and government bodies, which in 2023 specifically included the pre-cooked food industry among the key sectors to be developed, in the belief that it would stimulate domestic consumption and the rural economy.

As for the consumption of ready-made meals in schools, the idea stems from the belief that their distribution would help reduce canteen running costs and resolve food safety issues. However, suspicion soon spread amongst parents that school heads and local administrative authorities were exploiting the tendering process to select suppliers of ‘ready-to-eat’ food for their own personal gain.

In order to strengthen food safety management in schools, in early March 2026 the Ministry of Education published the so-called “10 essential points” (shi bixu) and the “10 prohibitions” (shi bu zhun). The measures include a requirement for schools to obtain authorisation for the provision of food and to establish a clear system of accountability, with the headteacher at the helm. Furthermore, strict procedures have been put in place for the procurement and inspection of ingredients, and there is a ban on preparing high-risk foods, such as cold and raw dishes. Finally, schools must ensure that at least one school official eats with the pupils at every meal. In the event of a food safety incident or suspected food poisoning, schools must take immediate action, report the situation to the relevant authorities and cooperate with the investigation.

The “10 prohibitions”, on the other hand, relate to the use of expired or low-quality ingredients, as well as toxic or harmful substances. Furthermore, unqualified staff are not permitted to handle ready-to-eat food. This provision was clearly disregarded in Wuhan’s schools, given that the inspection of vegetables was entrusted to ordinary teachers, who lack the professional expertise required to detect the presence of any pesticide residues in the ingredients.

Finally, it is prohibited to handle raw and cooked food improperly, or to conceal or delay the reporting of food safety incidents. These rules must be displayed on school premises in order to raise awareness amongst staff and management.