A mischievous little boy in China who had not done his homework lied to police about his father hitting him so he did not have to face the consequences at school.
The seven-year-old child from Lishui in Zhejiang province, eastern China, called the police and claimed he was suffering violence at the hands of his father.
Officers were quick to respond and immediately launched an inquiry.
In a viral video clip, one officer is seen asking the youngster: “Did you call the police? Who hit you?”
“My dad”, the boy replies softly as he looks convincingly aggrieved.
The officer then lightly taps the boy on the back and asks: “Was the hit like this?”
The boy nods, to which the suspicious officer replies: “But that wasn’t very hard.”
After further investigations it was concluded the boy had invented the story to avoid school because he had not completed correcting his test papers.
Instead of punishing the boy, the officer decided to help by offering him a one-on-one tutoring session.
“Let uncle first finish correcting the test paper for you, then I’ll take you to school”, he said to the boy.
“Remember, every child has an obligation to receive an education at school,” he told the youngster.
This video has entertained many on mainland social media.
“The kid knew to call the police but hadn’t realised that the policeman would send him to school,” one amused person wrote.
“Don’t make trouble. Uncle has gifts for you, he’ll give you two more sets of test papers,” another joked.
“He knew to report domestic violence to the police. But he didn’t realise that making a false report could have serious consequences,” said a third.
“This police officer is very gentle. However, children who make false police reports should be educated,” another person added.
Chinese parents and schools often put considerable pressure on children to be high achievers.
This often includes an overwhelming amount of homework and exams, as well as after-school tutoring sessions that extend into the late hours and during weekends.
The Chinese government has taken measures to help reduce the academic burden on children, including cracking down on excessive tutoring.
Meanwhile, after-school tutoring has been regulated through the “double reduction policy”, a package of reforms introduced in July 2021 aimed at relieving pressures on students and reducing financial burdens on their families.
Sometimes the lengths children go to when they are trying to wriggle out of attending school and doing homework, makes for amusing anecdotes.
In September, a boy from Zhejiang province in eastern China was seen tossing SOS notes with the message “help me” out of his bedroom window in an attempt to evade homework.