A school principal has been suspended after forcing at least 480 eighth-grade students to take exams at an open field in Lanzhou, Anyang, Henan Province, on Monday, despite a prior warning of heavy smog has been issued by the government. 

Images shared online showed the young students arranged in rows trying to answer question papers without protective masks. The air was so thick that even students from other rows were barely visible.

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The Telegraph reported that the principal, who goes by the name Feng Jisheng, had allowed the exams to proceed defending that it had already been organized when pollution levels were still low.

Jisheng has reportedly been released from his post as principal following the incident, China Youth news reported citing the decision made by Linzhou city's education and sports bureau.

"An investigation will be launched into the incident," the report said. "The bureau also demands all academic institutions to learn from this and reflect deeply to ensure the safety of its students."

Shijiazhuang, one of the cities that went on red alert, caught the attention of the online community after the its education department announced that the closure of middle and high schools was on a voluntary basis and that they had to wait until Tuesday to decide if it was closing elementary schools and kindergartens, according to The Straits Times.

"Are you going to wait for all of us to become sick before you step up and fix this?" one post read. "Are young students air purifiers?"

Beijing has issued a red alert last Friday and warned that the pollution level was expected to rise to its highest peak in the entire year. It has also ordered the closure of schools and construction activities, and advised Chinese netizens on affected areas to limit outdoor activities.

Tagschina, air pollution, education, Smog Red Alert