By Wang Ying (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-24 07:49

Five needy college students in Central China's Hubei Province are being denied further financial aid because they never expressed their thanks to the benefactors who helped them pay their bills last year.

The beneficiaries, in Xiangfan, were said to have been indifferent to their sponsors because they never called, wrote or even thanked them for the financial support they had received, local media reported.

Sina.com asked more than 200,000 people what they thought of the subject Wednesday, and more than 83 percent of respondents said they thought it was right to cut off the financial aid to the students. Roughly 9 percent said they did not agree and the rest said no comment.

Under the aid program, organized by the Xiangfan Federation of Trade Unions and Xiangfan Women Entrepreneurs Association last August, 19 businesswomen offered financial support to 22 needy college students.

Each benefactor promised to give 1,000-3,000 yuan ($130-400) every year to each student for the next four years.

The federation sent letters to the students and their families before they enrolled in college, suggesting they occasionally write letters to their sponsors to brief them on their studies. However, two-thirds of the students failed to do so.

Some of the businesswomen refused to sponsor the students this year because they said "some students were cold-blooded".

"The situation is embarrassing. Most of the students have a strong sense of pride. They lack a proper and optimistic attitude toward others and society. Maybe, some of them took the sponsorships for granted because they thought they were good students and deserved the support. That's why they didn't think to say 'thank you'."

Zhou Ping, deputy chairperson of Xiangfan Federation of Trade Unions

"We cannot refrain from eating for fear of choking on the food. It will not help these disadvantaged students to cut off their support. If they have faults, they should get help correcting them. Financial aid and other kinds of charity should focus on helping escape their difficulties, both spiritually and materially. "

Zhou Xiaozheng, a professor of Renmin University of China in Beijing

"Financial resources are limited, and many students are waiting to share them, so there is no room for ungrateful citizens who might have no will to repay society. There are many examples of impoverished students who spend their financial aid on luxury products, which discourages others from offering them donations."

Li Chengpeng, a media commentator

"I support cutting off the aid. The benefactors do not feel the value of their good deed and the beneficiaries do not feel grateful for the help. If the relationship is to be maintained, it might be harmful to both sides."

Zhu Jun, a lawyer