The vocational school of the Dongguan Institute of Technology has introduced a new disciplinary system that has seen 21 students expelled in under two months since the beginning of the semester, gdchinanews reports. Most of those expelled were aged 18 or 19.

An aerial view of the campus, courtesy of Google Images

What were their infractions? Some didn’t show up, some were caught littering, and others were busted using foul language, fighting, or in the dorm rooms of the opposite sex. While those might be punishable offences in some schools, DIT has decided to make even relatively small infractions expellable.

Guo Jingyi (alias) describes herself as a well behaved student. However, after staying at a friend’s house on the night of Sept. 23 and failing to return to her dorm during a typhoon, then allegedly allowing a boy to stay in her dorm on the night of Sept. 26 and missing classes during the subsequent probation period, she was expelled.

She cited embarrassment about the prior accusations as reasons not to show up to class. Because there is such a stigma with being expelled, she may have to leave Dongguan to find a school that will accept her.

A representative of the school defended the strict policies, saying it set good guidelines to maintain discipline throughout the rest of the year.

A freshman identified as Xiao Zhao said he was all for discipline and didn’t intend to break the rules, but he lived in fear.

For primary and middle schools in China, it is rare to expel students. But discipline is severely enforced, even for students aged 16 and above. In 2009, as many as 32 girls in Chancheng Experimental High School were suspended and forced to take a course on morals after growing their hair too long.

Dongguan Institute of Technology enrolled 4,000 students this year so strict discipline is necessary to keep order.