Education chiefs in Jilin Province, north east China, have banned students from wearing 'Bras' in an attempt to prevent cheating during the country's university entrance exams, popularly known as 'Gaokao.'
Authorities believe that 'Bras' may be used to secretly carry wireless listening devices or transmitters to cheat in exams.
The students were asked not to wear any clothing containing metal including bras with underwire or metal clasps. Those with pacemakers or other metal implants in their body, including fillings, were required to produce a certificate from a hospital or doctor.
More than nine million high school Chinese students sat for the incredibly competitive exam on Friday and Saturday. Before the start of the exams, the students were asked to pass through metal detectors installed near the exam area to capture any hidden cheating gadgets and clothing with metal parts.
Preparing students for this unique exam, school teachers earlier conducted drills, explained the security checks and informed students on correct clothing, including sports bras, shoes without metal eyelets and tracksuit bottoms.
Students welcomed the decision.
'Any inconvenience caused to achieve the fairness in the gaokao is understandable,' said a student, whose surname is Tang.
"Everyone is paying attention to the bras. What about glasses?" asked one student.
But certain parents did not approve of the proposal.
'I just bought my daughter a new bra and we don't need to buy other clothes. It's been heard province-wide that in some counties, the problem of cheating is severe and many of us parents think it's unfair for children. I hope the policy is not just a formality,' said one parent.
In 2012, police arrested more than 1,500 students for cheating and stealing exam papers, and seized more than 60,000 electronic devices including clear plastic earphones, leather belts, wireless signal receivers, and watches.
