Low-income students receiving aids should not be labelled, says a signed article in Qilu Evening News. An excerpt follows:

As the new semester starts in September, there are many activities taking place to subsidize poor college students. But some inappropriate practices have hurt the feelings of this group.

For example, at a university in Shandong Province, every student who applies for State student loans must make a presentation before teachers and classmates about their family's financial situation and how they are going to overcome these difficulties in college. This is really a test for some students who are already self-abased because of poverty. Some students simply gave up to avoid the awkward position.

There are many reports about poor students receiving financial support, but normally the real names of the students were omitted at their request. Some students would rather choose to incur debts from their families than receive social aids because they are afraid to expose their poverty to the public.

With tuition and fees increasing substantially over recent years, the number of students who need financial aids is on the rise too. The special nature of this group should be considered in addition to giving them support in money or kind.

Economic pressure has made the psychology of these students even more fragile. They easily feel self-abased, permissive and sad. Some even have the extreme thought to commit suicide due to setbacks and pressure. It is not a shame to be in poverty; however, poor students deeply wish not to be treated differently.

Traceless aids may be better to comfort the students. In the past, some schools would distribute uniform clothing and daily necessities to poor students, which was tantamount to labelling them. Realizing this, more schools have now chosen diversified clothing and articles as aids in kind.

Supporting poor students is a systematic project. Financial and psychological aids are both important. There is no need to let poor students show up under the spotlight when granting them support. More opportunities can be provided for them to rely on themselves. Psychological support can be provided to foster their abilities in interpersonal communication and employment skills that can provide a lifelong benefit.

(China Daily September 8, 2006)