To secure He's college admittance is not to tolerate fraud and corruption, but to keep a kind heart and to be tolerant to others, as our objective is to grant opportunities to all people who wish to develop themselves.

Punish him

Chen Bulei (The Beijing News): The right to education is indeed a basic human right, which is enshrined in the Constitution. Therefore, He Chuanyang's right in this regard cannot be unscrupulously denied. However, while enjoying the right granted by law, citizens must also fulfill relevant obligations. By no means are people allowed to personally gain at the cost of others' rights or damage the social order.

When he was still a child, He's parents changed his ethnic status from the majority Han to the Tujia minority so as to secure extra points during the future college entrance examination.

According to current laws and regulations, He's parents, who are directly involved in the ethnicity fraud, have of course been punished by removing them from their official posts. But, how to deal with He Chuanyang, who would be the biggest beneficiary if the scandal had not been exposed? Isn't it necessary for him to take certain accountability? If no severe punishment follows after the scandal is revealed and He's family suffers no loss at all, what will the public think about social justice? If such a fraud will bring no severe consequence at all, why not let us all have a try?

Lin Yaoguo (The Beijing News): Despite frequent scandals related to the college entrance examination, the public still has strong confidence in the equality of this top test. Many students from poor families are able to change their fate through this examination. If fairness and justice in the college entrance examination system are destroyed, the education system and social order will suffer. Some officials, such as He Chuanyang's parents, take advantage of the preferential policy toward ethnic minority groups. This is no longer a question of personal sincerity or credit, but is connected with corruption.

We are not hostile toward He Chuanyang, but we cannot accept it if he is exempted from punishment. Without severe punishment, similar scandals will flourish. As He is still a minor, we should forgive him and give him opportunities to correct his mistake, but corruption is unforgivable and the bottom line of punishment must be obeyed.

Yan Yang (Guangzhou Daily): Why is it that in most cases lawbreakers will be punished by law? The reason is very simple: Lawbreakers must be made to pay a high price for their misdoings, so as to prevent them from doing so again and to deter potential lawbreakers. If He Chuanyang is exempted from due punishments, just because he actually took no advantage of the fake ethnic minority status, more people will take the risk. People will think that even if they commit fraud and are caught, they will suffer no punishment. If the top scorer in the examination is not punished, what about other students who may have done the same thing? To tolerate the top scorer will only benefit his family, but in contrast the whole education system will be ruined. This will set a bad example.

Yuan Guangkuo (www.china.com.cn): The college entrance examination participants are mostly 17 or 18 years old, on the verge of being an adult in the legal sense. No matter how the law defines them, minors or adults, they are already a group of people who have the ability to judge what is right and what is wrong. They must know it's a shame to get extra points on the examination through tricks and other forms of dishonesty, and know that if they make it, it's unfair to others.

As his parents' faked his ethnic status, what does He Chuanyang think? Why didn't this top scorer stop his parents from their fraudulent actions? If not for the media's exposure, He would probably be enjoying the preferential treatment of being a Tujia minority. He is a conspirator in this scandal.

Therefore, from the perspective of maintaining education equality and warning against fraud in the college entrance examination, we should not be too sympathetic to He. If education equality is maintained by sacrificing one top scorer, the sacrifice is worthwhile as far as social fairness is concerned. It will benefit He in his later years and will also protect the legitimate rights of other examinees.