Students protest over meal prices

Hundreds of students from a vocational institute in Hebei province Thursday protested over recent increases in meal prices as well as the imposition of charges for showers, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

The students from the Langfang Oriental Institute of Technology protested in front of the management building on campus for two hours and allegedly smashed the tables and chairs in the school cafeteria to vent their frustration.

The protest was triggered by policies such as forcing students to swipe prepaid cards to take shower as well as increased meal prices.

Some of the students were also unhappy about the military-style management of the institute, which restricts students from leaving the campus on weekdays.