A kindergarten principal in China has been sacked after arranging a pole dancer to perform for pupils at a start-of-term event.
Among the concerned parents of Xinshahui Kindergarten students is journalist Michael Standaert, who shared footage of the bizarre routine to Twitter on Monday.
The clips show young children watching on as the female dancer swings around and gyrates beside a pole, which is topped with the Chinese flag.
“Who would think this is a good idea?” the father wrote. “We’re trying to pull the kids out of the school and get our tuition back.”
He continued, “The principal hung up on my wife when she called after saying it was ‘international and good exercise’ … okay, yeah for adults maybe, but not 3-6 year old kids.” [sic]
Standaert also shared a photograph of a poster advertising a pole dancing school, which he claims was one of “a bunch” erected at the event.
In a statement shared to Chinese social media, the local education authority confirmed that Lai Rong, the principal of the government-run kindergarten, had been sacked.
“The District Education Bureau believes that it is not appropriate to perform pole dancing for children in kindergartens,” the statement read.
Before the bureau became involved, Ms Lai issued an apology to parents.
“I was thinking of asking the forgiveness from the parents and also promising them that we would not teach the kids this kind of dance,” she told The Washington Post.
“I just want the kids to know the existence of this kind of dance. That’s all.”
Top Comments
Why on earth do kids need to know about the existence of pole dancing?
Centrifugal force, gravity, momentum and friction to say the least.
How else are kids supposed to learn the basics of physics?
I would have paid MUCH closer attention if my year ten Physics teacher had used pole dancing to demonstrate! Nothing like a bearded, middle-aged man working the pole to get the kids learning.
WTF, “I just wanted the kids to know the existence of this kind of dance.” Why??? This is bizarre, the principal is nuts.
I'm thinking the principal heard about all those world-famous, elite non-sexual pole dancers, who should really be in the Olympics, given the legitimacy of pole dancing as a sport. As a previous article suggested, people who sexualise pole dancing are the ones with the problem, amirite?