Remember images such as this one of family members carrying children’s desks to school?

Headlines were made around the world last September when it was revealed that students in rural parts of Hubei Province were expected to bring their own desks to school.

This news coincided with the anti-patriotic education protests in Hong Kong and one of the popular memes on Sina Weibo was that mainland students were so dedicated that they were bringing their own desks to be brainwashed.

Now, three public school principals in Guangdong Province were fired January 4 after they caused an outcry online for asking students to provide their own desks and chairs, according to China Daily.

Chuanxi High School, Huangpo township’s Dayuan Primary School and Zhongxin Primary School in Zhenwen township, all in the city of Wuchuan in western Guangdong, had asked students to purchase chairs and desks, according to the findings of a preliminary investigation by Zhanjiang city government.

Wuchuan is under the jurisdiction of Zhanjiang.

The heads of the three schools, whose names were not revealed, were removed from their posts on Friday and are being investigated, according to a statement released by the Zhanjiang government on Sunday.

Wuchuan is the poorest city in Guangdong in terms of per capita GDP, but educators elsewhere are not accepting any excuses.

Teachers carry desks toward classrooms.

Lin Yehan, principal of a primary school in Fengkai county, also in western Guangdong, said the government provides 140 yuan to 160 yuan ($22-$25) per student in his primary school for office expenses every school term. “That’s enough to buy new chairs and desks.”