Two minutes late, Chinese student not allowed to take exam

A student in this Chinese metropolis was not allowed to appear in his national college entrance examination as he reached the venue two minutes after the test began.

The English paper, last of the four tests in the college entrance exams, began at 3 p.m. Saturday but students had to enter the venue before 2.45 p.m. to get their equipment ready for the listening part of the exam, the Shanghai Daily reported Sunday. The student arrived at the East China Model High School in Jing'an district at 2.47 p.m. because his bike broke down on the way.

When he was not allowed to enter, his mother knelt down and begged the guards to open the gate and let her son in.

The anxious boy lost his temper, and kicked the gate and climbed over it in an attempt to take the test.

But the test centre officials refused and eventually threw out the student. People have said the regulation should be enforced in a more flexible manner, as there were still 13 minutes for the official start to the test.

Exam authorities said the staff were just performing their duty according to the regulation of the ministry of education.