AN experimental primary school pupil in Weiyang District, Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, was perplexed when he was told he had to wear a green scarf.

    On Oct. 14, Li Yantao, 7, was among 40 pupils in the first grade being told to wear green scarves at school instead of red scarves of the Chinese Young Pioneers.

    The school decided to make children whose schoolwork and general behavior were substandard wear green scarves.

    The parents of children who were forced to wear green scarves did not understand why and thought it was inappropriate to make some wear green scarves.

    “The children still need their self-esteem even though they are very young, and they know the green scarf means something is not quite right,” said a mother surnamed Su, whose daughter was also given a green scarf.

    Many pupils with green scarves took them off and put them in their schoolbags after they left the school grounds.

    “The original idea of the green scarf was to strengthen education and to encourage pupils to work harder,” said school principal Chen Hong.

    “We have never discriminated against pupils wearing green scarves and we will discuss a proper solution with the parents so the children will not be adversely affected,” Chen said.

    Green scarves were once used as encouragement in some primary schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, but the practice was stopped in favor of the red scarf.

    Chen Xixue, deputy director of the Shaanxi provincial youth work committee, said the committee did not support the school’s use of green scarves because it did not meet the provisions of the Chinese Young Pioneers.

    “As a national children’s mass organization, the symbol should be standardized,” the deputy director said.

    Xu Jianguo, director of the Xi’an education society, told the Xi’an-based Huashang Daily that the green scarves divided the children into different groups and could harm some children’s self-esteem.

    Founded in 1949 and run by the Communist Youth League of China, Chinese Young Pioneers is the country’s largest children’s organization. The red scarf is its only symbol and members are often referred to as “red scarves.” (SD-Agencies)