A primary school in Central China's Henan Province came under the spotlight recently after it allowed a class to watch a childbirth video intended to build appreciation for mothers.

 

The second grade students, aged seven and eight, watched the video with their mothers during a "thanksgiving education" class at Qinlinglu Primary School in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.

 

The screening earlier this month, showed a Caesarean section operation being carried out, the Beijing News reported.

 

Cao Jianping, the school's headmaster, who watched the video beforehand, said: "The scenes in the video were instructive and could be a positive experience for the children if handled properly under teachers' guidance."

 

Cao said he got the idea to show the video after reading a news report about a teenager in Zhengzhou who slapped her mother because she refused to buy her something, CCTV claimed.

 

"I hope the film will help students appreciate the sacrifices made by their mothers," he said.

 

Some critics thought the students were too young to view such scenes.

 

More than 100 second-grade students saw the film and most indicated they were moved by the mother's love portrayed in the short film.

 

However, they also confessed that the childbirth scene was disturbing.

 

"It's a Dracula movie. I was scared," said a boy who watched the film.

 

"I was frightened greatly when I saw the doctors make a long cut on the belly of the mother," said a girl.

 

A mother surnamed Zhao also saw the film with her eight-year-old son.

 

"I think the film will help my child understand childbirth and the hardship of a mother," Zhao said. "It also helped me avoid the embarrassment of telling my child where he really came from."

 

However, some parents and experts said the scenes were "too bloody" and improper for children to watch.

 

Psychologist Cao Fenyuan said the school should use a "milder" approach to encouraging students to respect their mothers.

 

"The bloody operation scene is too strong for children of seven and eight. It might give them a bad image of childbirth and shock them," she said.

 

Sex is a taboo subject that most school textbooks avoid. Schools have traditionally attached little importance to sex education or childbirth.

 

Why the school chose to present a video of a Caesarean section operation rather than a natural childbirth remains a mystery. Some experts said there was a risk that children would think that giving birth was always a traumatic affair.

 

(China Daily April 19, 2007)