At a school in China, hard work isn’t just rewarded with success — it’s rewarded with air conditioning, too.

Binhe Middle and High School in Shenzhen, China has 11 classes for 10th-graders, but only four of them — the honors classes — are air conditioned. Kids in the other classes have to sweat it out with only fans for comfort.

Students who do well on their high school entrance exams don’t just get a more comfortable classroom, they also get the most experienced and competent teachers. In exchange, those elite kids are expected to later enroll at one of the country’s universities.

A Binhe students said kids in the non-honors classes have offered to buy air conditioning units themselves and even pay for the electricity required to run them, but school authorities rebuffed their request, saying, “We may be put under investigation by education authorities if we allow such a practice.”

But the rationale behind the refusal seems to go deeper. One teacher said kids need to learn they can’t get whatever they want and that learning in a hot classroom will help them acquire the skills necessary to “overcome difficulties.”

Parents of some of those children are understandably upset, with one saying, “I think the school should treat all the students equally. Students in honors classes should not be given special treatment.”

More From Newstalk 1290